Rehabilitation
by Arawn D. Draven
Summary: Minato Arisato is something of an enigma to the residents of Karakura Town, having moved in quite recently. That said, he might stay an enigma very long if the adventures of a certain Strawberry happen in the vicinity of the Messiah...


**Hello everyone, I'm back!**

**I know it's been a loooong while, but I have really struggled to find the motivation to write these last few months, so forgive me if I didn't publish anything.**

**Also, I have come to the realization that I tend to overcomplicate things when I write long stories, as proven by Bloody Ashikabi  so I'll probably stick to short stories from now on, with perhaps a few "experiments" here and there...**

**This crossover was born when I realized that a Persona (from the _Persona_ verse) can be compared, somewhat, to a Shinigami's zanpakuto.**

**This story is the result.**

**To be entirely honest, I am still somewhat dissatisfied with it, so if you find some things wrong with it don't worry, you're probably right. It's just that at this point, I really don't want to go back and start everything again.**

**I might write omakes for this story later on, I might not, so don't keep your hopes up.**

**Also, fair notice, just because I'm publishing this doesn't mean I will be uploading a lot of stories anymore. I...kinda lack the motivation to write much at the moment, so just take each story I publish as a one-time thing than as a sign I'm back to regularly uploading stories.**

**This said, I hope you'll enjoy this!**

* * *

**Rehabilitation**

Minato Arisato was, to many, an enigma. The blue-haired teen had transferred to Karakura High in the middle of the school year, and while he spoke when first addressed, he very rarely sought conversation with his peers, instead listening to his music with his headphones and MP3 player. There was an air about him that made others reluctant to seek him out, something that made him stand out even without trying to. Bullies who tried to take advantage of the teen's seemingly relaxed nature found themselves too terrified to utter a word or even try anything with him around, while those who tried to make conversation with him quickly found themselves unnerved by the short answers they were given, quickly stopping their efforts.

Despite his rather unassuming appearance, the teen was something of a prodigy, as the kendo club had found themselves _begging_ the blue-haired young man to help them win their competitions, since unlike a certain orange-haired Strawberry, he didn't charge for his services. The fact that he had beaten the entire club into submission without even ending winded had quickly found itself known by every student, adding to what some called his "mysterious charm".

Indeed, Minato was a mystery. Whenever asked where he had come from, he would simply glaze through the window and say something about a town far away, too far for it to be known to anyone. The only thing that seemed to be able to gather something of a reaction from him was to speak of his friends, which would instantly make him smile. In fact, the only time he spoke for more than a few seconds was when he spoke of his friends, and those who had tried asking him about them could easily tell that he valued them greatly, although he seemed to be convinced he would never see them again.

He would most likely have continued to stay a mystery had Rukia Kuchiki not barged into the life of Ichigo Kurosaki, and changed the life of him and his friends.

**-Break-**

"Ichigo, who is the boy with the blue hair in the upper year class?" asked the Shinigami, as they walked home together, making sure that nobody was around to see them. Ichigo had been adamant on that, he already had enough craziness in his life with dealing with his father, and now, with his duties as a Shinigami, without having to deal with the rumors that were bound to start should people know the raven-haired girl lived in his cupboard.

"You mean the guy who always has his headphones on? That's Minato Arisato, why?" grunted the Strawberry, looking rather confused as to why Rukia would bring the rather quiet teen up.

"There is something odd about him…" she explained, "I cannot be sure since I cannot sense any Spiritual Power from him, but it's as if he was a Shinigami too, but was hiding his powers. But I have never heard of one with that name before…"

"Wait, you mean to tell me that one of my classmates is a Shinigami?!" scowled Ichigo. He didn't like the thought of that, Minato was an alright guy in his book, but from what Rukia had said, if he truly was a Shinigami, then he would likely report her to Soul Society, and she would be executed for giving him her powers, and allowing him to protect his family.

"Baka! I said it was _like_ he was a Shinigami, not that he was one! I am the only Shinigami charged of this area, and Urahara-san would have warned me if he truly was here with orders from Soul Society," admonished the deceptively young-looking female. She was, after all, over a hundred years old, still well in her teens by Shinigami standards. In human ones, of course, she had nothing to do in school.

She fell silent, wondering if she had imagined things. The way he sometimes acted, the way he spaced out sometimes, the _feeling_ she got each time she watched him during these instances, it was as if he was in his Inner World, conversing with his Zanpakuto, that is, if he had been a Shinigami. There was no way a Human could have a Zanpakuto, after all. So why did she feel like she was watching a Captain-class Shinigami each time her eyes fell on the blue-haired teen?

**-Break-**

The first time Renji Abarai met Minato was on a hot, summer night. More precisely, it was on the night he, along with his captain, were sent to retrieve Rukia from the Living World. His childhood friend had really messed up, giving her powers to a human like that, when she knew the sentence for such a thing was death, for both the Shinigami and the human. He was understandably, mightily pissed with her, considering that he had harbored feelings for her for quite a long time, and here she came and signed her death warrant.

He had to admit though, the guy she had lent her powers to, that Ichigo, packed at least a decent power. Not that it changed things much, but at least Rukia hadn't given her powers to a complete weakling, that would have been embarrassing. The fact that he had had to release Zabimaru was a testament that the orange-haired teen was at least somewhat skilled. Hell, he had almost gotten beaten because he had been careless, and it was only because Byakuya had intervened that he hadn't been seriously wounded.

Byakuya was about to finish the brat when another teen walked in on them. He wasn't anything impressive, really, with his blue hair hiding most of his face, or his headphones on his ears. In fact, Renji would have completely disregarded him had the teen not stopped, and stared right at where Byakuya and Ichigo were standing. He had seen some spiritually aware humans guess somewhat where a Shinigami or a Hollow stood, although they had to strain their eyes to see even a slight outline, when the teen was staring at them as if he could see them clearly.

Rukia had also noticed that the teen seemed to see them, as she screamed at him to run. However, instead of complying, he continued to stare at the elder Kuchiki, his eyes hidden by his hair.

"Are you friends of Kuchiki-san?"

His voice sent chills down Renji's spine. It was stupid, really. What could a spiritually-aware human do against a Shinigami, much less a Captain like Byakuya, or even him, a seated officer? Even the most powerful mediums could hardly do more than scratch a low-ranked Shinigami, let alone someone stronger.

"It seems you can see us," Remarked Byakuya," This is a matter pertaining to Soul Society, leave now and no harm will befall you."

The teen didn't move, instead tilting his head to the side, still not moving his hands from his pockets. With a simple gesture of his head, he motioned to the orange-haired teen, still staring at the hilt of his broken zanpakuto in shock.

"You were about to harm one of my fellow students, while kidnapping another. As such it does concern me."

"Very well."

Those two words had barely been uttered that Byakuya reappeared behind the teen, who seemed somewhat startled by his speed. However, instead of a spurt of blood as he had expected, the teen didn't even have a scratch on him, when his Captain's attack should at the very least have knocked him out.

"Impressive speed," Idly commented the teen, despite the fact that everyone was looking at him in shock. While none of them had been able to completely see through Byakuya's move, they had clearly seen that the blue-haired student had not done anything, meaning that he should have been on the ground, bleeding, with wounds that would deprive him of his spiritual powers forever.

A cracking sound made everyone look at Byakuya's zanpakuto, and much to their shock, the blade had a slight crack on it.

_It's impossible!_ _Kuchiki-taicho is one of the most powerful Captains of Soul Society, there is no way a living human can be powerful enough to shrug off his attacks, let alone damage his blade! _Thought the tattooed Shinigami.

He was not the only one who seemed surprised, the usually stoic Captain had quirked an eyebrow as he stared at his blade, his eyes coming to rest on the enigmatic teen standing a few feet away, analyzing him and the new situation.

Before anyone could react, Kurosaki was bleeding on the ground, two centers of his spiritual power damaged, while Byakuya had his hand on his adopted sister's shoulder. While his face was again schooled into an impassive mask, he could see a glint of uncertainty in the eyes of the usually stoic Captain.

"Renji, we are leaving," He called, before his gaze fell on the still standing, blue-haired teen. "What is your name, boy?"

"Minato Arisato," Was the curt reply, the teen slowly walking to the downed Kurosaki.

The Captain nodded, there was unmistakable respect in that gesture alone, more than he had ever shown to Renji, at any rate. As the Senkaimon opened, and that they stepped through it, he caught his superior's last words to the teen.

"I will remember your name, Minato Arisato."

**-Break-**

Kisuke Urahara was puzzled. He did not like being puzzled. It usually meant that there was trouble ahead. For most of his life, he had been able to understand everything he wanted to with little trouble, meaning that the rare few times he encountered something he couldn't explain immediately, it spelled trouble. The last example in date had been Aizen's stunt, the man had played him, as well as all of Soul Society, masterfully, weakening them while remaining in the shadows.

He had already known that Byakuya had come to retrieve his sister, after all the man's Spiritual Pressure, even purposely lowered, was still easy to pick up. He had fully expected to find Ichigo bleeding out on the ground, for all the boy's power, he didn't have the first clue on how to use it, so there was little chance of him winning against a Captain like Byakuya. He had also expected the teen to have lost his spiritual powers, and to be ready to storm Soul Society to save his friend, thus playing in his hand, since he couldn't deal with Aizen by himself.

However, what he had _not_ expected, was to find a teen, one or two years older than Kurosaki, to be there with the Quincy and him, and to find both in almost perfect condition, save for the fact that Kurosaki no longer had his Shinigami powers. It was with some relief that he noted both teens were looking at their blue-haired senior with genuine puzzlement on their faces, meaning that they had no idea of what was going on either.

His mind was already whirling with theories. Who was the boy, and how come he had never noticed him? Someone with enough spiritual power to cast healing Kido was not someone he or his sensors would have missed, yet the fact that Kurosaki was in relatively good shape instead of bleeding out on the ground was definite proof that the blue-haired teen knew how to do so.

Deciding he might as well introduce himself, he waved his fan in front of his face, using the same grin he usually did when dealing with Kurosaki.

"Good evening, Kurosaki-san, Ishida-san! And who might you be?"

Instead of immediately answering, Kisuke felt as if the teen was judging him, his steel grey eyes staring at him with a focus that made even _him_ uncomfortable (and he had known Kurotsuchi, who was the _definition_ of creepy).

"Minato Arisato." Was the curt reply, and Urahara felt a headache forming. He was used to work with people whom he could read, or at least whom he knew what to expect from. Yet here he was dealing with an unknown with a poker face that would have made the Assassination Corps proud. How was he supposed to know how his presence would change his plans?

"Perhaps we could take this to my humble shop?" he offered. He had no illusions that Ishida would want nothing to do with him, therefore he would only have Kurosaki and Arisato to deal with. Since Kurosaki had to undergo the Shattered Shaft anyway, that should leave him some time to get some answers from the blue-haired teen. He could _not_ afford to have an unknown quantity to change his plans!

**-Break-**

Minato was quite confused at the moment, although only his friends in SEES would have been able to tell, since most were unable to read his moods. Only the close camaraderie created from their time spent hunting Shadows together, their time preparing to stop the Fall, allowed them to know what he was thinking. They were the closest thing he had had to a family, which was why he had not hesitated to sacrifice everything for them. Spending an eternity as the Great Seal, preventing the being known as Nyx to descend on Earth and cause the death of every single living being, had only been bearable because he knew that by doing so, he was protecting his friends.

He had given up his life and soul, fully expecting to be forever trapped in the strange void that resembled space, and where he had fought the last battle against Nyx, yet apparently Elizabeth had somehow found a way to free him. He had no idea on _how_ she had been able to do so, but he was at least confident that whatever she had done, that the Great Seal was still in place. He knew the Velvet Room attendant well enough to know that she would never free him if it meant dooming the world.

He had awoken in a new world, one where Tatsumi Port Island did not exist (he had made sure to check), with everything he had on him for the last battle, including his weapons, as well as the money he had saved up from battling Shadows in Tartarus daily (or was it nightly?). He had also, to his surprise, discovered that the Universe Arcana created by Igor was still there in him, allowing him to hold all the Personas he had ever used, which was a staggering one hundred and eighty-nine.

It had been rather easy to create a new identity for himself with the amount of money he had, and some liberal use of some of his Personas (on a side note, he had made sure to properly compensate the people whose memories he had wiped). He had then gone back to high school, as he fully intended to find a job, never mind the fact that he didn't need to work, considering that the investments he made with his money and using the knowledge imparted to him by Mitsuru were very successful.

His new school was…normal, surprisingly. There were no teachers fascinated with mathematics to the point of proclaiming their love for it in class, no strange school nurse handing odd decoctions to unsuspecting students, making it quite dull compared to his time at Gekkoukan High. Granted, where the teachers were normal, it seemed that there was a specific group of students who were anything _but _normal. Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends were certainly quite odd in their own right, but since he could be called odd as well, he didn't judge them.

He had started to notice that something odd was going on the day a giant wearing a bone-white mask had stepped into the town, seemingly slipping in from a portal along with countless beasts wearing bone white masks as well, and each of them had a hole somewhere on their body. The oddest thing though, was the fact that _nobody_ seemed to notice it. The apparition of such a being should have sent the citizens in a frenzy, yet he had seen people going on with their lives as if nothing odd was happening. After the third time one of the odds beings stepped next to someone and was ignored, he had realized that people couldn't see the beings. He had been ready to summon Thanatos to deal with them, the masked Persona howling in anticipation in his mind, when the giant had retreated after being dealt a gigantic blow.

He had not noticed anything odd afterwards, until the night he had ran into an odd scene. He had heard of Rukia Kuchiki, the transfer student in the lower years, as well as her close association with Ichigo Kurosaki, the infamous Strawberry of Karakura High. He had also seen Uryu Ishida several times, although the teen was almost as standoffish as him. So to see all three of them at the same place, Ishida bleeding on the ground, while Kuchiki was being held by a redhead wearing traditional clothing, and that Kurosaki was fixing the hilt of a broken sword, its' blade resting in the hand of a man that had the same dignified aura around him that Mitsuru had had, was more than a little strange.

He had quickly understood, with the way that the two men looked at him, that he was not supposed to be able to see them. What bothered him, though, was the way they were treating his underclassmen. While he was not the most sociable person, he was also not one to let his underclassmen get abducted or hurt, not when he could do something about it.

When he had refused to leave, he had been startled by the speed the one with the noble aura had displayed, while he was used to fighting beings with greater speed than average humans, even Shadows weren't that fast. Fortunately for him, he still had the Omnipotent Orb he had gotten from Elizabeth, meaning that anything short of an Almighty skill wouldn't harm him. He was almost tempted to smile when the man looked at his sword in shock. So long as he had the Orb, he was pretty much invulnerable, even though he doubted he would win against this man. He had no doubts that his attacks would hurt if they connected, but he knew that if the man could move as fast as he had to dodge, then he would never be able to hit him, unless he used some of his most powerful skills, which would be bad for the surrounding area.

Seeing the two men flee, although not before one had gravely wounded Kurosaki, he decided that it was time he get some answers, but before that, he had to heal his underclassmen. A simple Diarama would be more than enough, Diarahan would only have been needed in case of an amputated limb or major damage to a vital area. The wounds both teens had, were deep, life-threatening, but also very localized, allowing him to focus the entirety of the power of the healing skill in a single area.

Both teens had seemed pretty surprised to see him, even more so to realize that he had healed them, when he had never been part of whatever was happening. They had been about to properly interrogate him when the odd shopkeeper had arrived. Despite his rather unassuming appearance, several of his Personas warned him against the man, telling him that he was dangerous, and considering that some of these personas were rather powerful, he had made sure to heed their warnings and be cautious.

So when he, along with Kurosaki, were invited to the shop the man, who introduced himself as Kisuke Urahara, he steeled himself. While he did not want to reveal too much of his past, he wanted to help Kuchiki, for she seemed to be a good person, and if Kurosaki wanted to help her, then it was enough for him to know that she was a good person. Besides, he was loath to admit it, but he _craved_ for something like this. After spending an entire year saving the world while still leading the life of an ordinary high school student during the day, he had grown used to the constant battles. Nowadays, he always felt restless, and this provided him with the opportunity to help someone while venting his battlelust. The roaring approval of his most warrior-like Personas told him he had taken the right decision in getting involved with whatever business Kurosaki was in.

**-Break-**

"Oh, Arisato-san, you're here too?" asked Inoue, with her usual enthusiastic personality.

A nod was her answer, and the bubbly girl smiled warmly as she grasped his hands in hers.

"Thank you, Arisato-san! With one more person, we have even more chances to rescue Kuchiki-san!"

"You are absolutely right, my dear!" sing-songed Urahara, who was covered from head to toe in bandages.

"Hat'n Clogs, what the Hell happened to you?!" screamed Ichigo, pointing at him as he tried to refrain from laughing.

Surprisingly, the answer did not come from the eccentric shopkeeper, but rather from the most silent member of their group, Minato himself.

"He wanted proof I was strong enough to go to Soul Society with you. I gave him that proof."

There was a stunned silence for a moment, as the four teens looked between Minato and Urahara, who was pouting, muttering about "cheating teens and cheap power-ups". All of them knew that the shopkeeper was strong, they had no idea how much exactly, but they knew he was at least strong enough to force Ichigo to fight seriously. And yet the quiet, blue-haired teen had apparently been able to wound him seriously enough to have him look like a mummy.

"Well then, it is time to send you off!" grinned Urahara.

He still had trouble believing that the unassuming teen could use something that closely resembled Kido, what's more, than he could use abilities that were easily out of reach of most seated officers. The only weakness he had was that while he was quick to react against opponents going at human speeds, against someone going faster, he would have trouble hitting them. He had made the mistake to think it would make it easy for someone to injure him, he wouldn't make it again. Benihime was _still_ angry at him for nicking her blade against the teen, that "Omnipotent Orb" of his certainly was something he didn't want to see in Aizen's hands.

**-Break-**

"Would you like your arm back?"

The silence that settled afterwards was _deafening_, as all those present stared at Minato with faces that showed they thought he had asked a really stupid question. From what they had seen of Kukaku Shiba, and the way the young-looking woman treated her brother, she was someone with a temper matching Ichigo's, and who had little trouble resorting to violence to get things sorted. Despite the lack of her right arm, none had commented on it, as it would have been a rather personal question, yet here the quietest of them all had just dropped the equivalent of a bombshell.

"Oh," smirked the young woman, the glint in her eyes growing dangerous, "You think you can give me back my arm? And I suppose you would like compensation for doing that, wouldn't you?"

Kukaku was not happy, not in the least. She had lost her arm to a Hollow a while ago, and had been saved by Kaien just in time before it ate her whole, yet her brother had never been able to give her back her arm. Medical Kido could do a lot, but re-growing lost limbs was not one of them. It would have taken him asking the Captain of the Twelfth Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, to grow her another one, and considering the rumors about the man, she hadn't wanted her brother to be anywhere near him. It was something she knew had bothered Kaien greatly, and she knew he had looked up everything he could to help her, even if it had proven pointless.

So to have a snot-nosed brat, one who had come with the others to request her help, offer her something that she _knew_ was not possible, something that had made Kaien hate himself for a long time, she was _pissed_. If the brat thought that he would get away with it, then he was wrong. And boy would she enjoy kicking his ass when she got him where she wanted.

She was surprised, though, when he simply shook his head, his face still an unreadable mask.

"No compensation will be required; it is only right."

She blinked at that. What the Hell was wrong with the brat, the world didn't work like that! _Everyone_ expected something in return for their actions, even Yoruichi, her best friend, expected a party with some sake whenever she dropped by, although it was something she was more than happy to provide.

"Heh," She chuckled, motioning to her stump, "Well then, hot stuff, show me what you can do then."

She watched as the teen walked over to her. She had to admit, he was rather cute, although his perpetually blank mask unsettled her more than she would like. Still, she glanced at her old friend, still stuck in her cat form, who was staring at the scene with more than a small amount of interest. Apparently, the brat was a mystery to her as well, and to her friend, Urahara, the genius unable to piece more than a few facts about the brat together, so it was hardly a surprise that she wanted to see what he was able to do.

She shivered a bit as his hands touched her stump, lightly prodding it, although it was hardly invasive. Looking back at him, she was about to snap at him about touching a lady without her permission, when she suddenly stopped. The look on the brat's face was now one of complete focus, he had his eyes closed, and she could almost feel a foreign presence around him. She knew about a Shinigami's zanpakuto, Kaien had explained it to her well enough, but for some reason the presence she felt was…_different_, like it wasn't entirely the brat's.

She almost missed the faint whisper of "Diarahan", just before she saw a deep green light shine around her elbow, quickly progressing down, leaving behind smooth, unblemished flesh, her arm reconstructing itself right before her eyes. She watched, fascinated, as the light formed new bones, new muscle, new skin, new fingers, and then vanished. It took her several seconds to realize that she could _feel_ again, that she no longer felt the throbbing, dull ache of a phantom limb, but the brush of the air against her skin.

Twitching her fingers, she raised her new arm to look at it, flexing her fingers experimentally, and watching them respond to her mental orders just as they had before her arm had been eaten. Unlike what she had expected, there was no soreness, no pain, just as if her arm had always been there.

With a happy grin, she grabbed the teen, and pulled him in a bear hug. She fact that his head was squashed right between her girls was her own, personal way to say thank you. After all, what man didn't dream of having their head between the breasts of a hot woman? And yes, she was aware that she was a woman that many men would like to have sex with, she was not blind to the stares she got whenever she took a walk in Rukongai.

"Kukaku, you might want to release him," Chuckled Yoruichi, the cat pointing a paw towards her breasts, where the b-the teen had passed out, apparently from lack of oxygen.

"Oh, too bad, I wanted to "thank him" properly," She grinned, making her old friend chuckle, Ganju look at her with shock, and the ryoka glance away with uncomfortable expressions, "What?" she grinned, watching the group, and seeing the girl and the Shinigami redden in embarrassment, she smirked, "A little fun in bed isn't bad from time to time…You should try, kids, it can do wonders for you. Who knows, it might even get that stick out of your ass," She grinned at the teen with glasses.

"He'd need to find a girl willing to do it with him," Snickered the Shinigami, making the glasses-wearing teen to glare at him.

"I will have you know, Kurosaki, that I would have no trouble to find a girl for that. I simply hold myself to higher standards than that. And I, unlike you, am not too dense to notice when someone is interested in me," He countered.

"What is that supposed to mean, huh, Ishida?!" growled the Shinigami, making her snicker. Ah, letting them inside her home was _so_ worth it, she mused, as she watched the two bicker back and forth like an old couple.

A weak groan in her cleavage made her realize that she had yet to release the teen who had given her, her arm back, and she gently lowered him in her lap. He had given her back something she thought she had lost forever, so it was the least she could do. Even if he was a virgin, like most people his age were in the World of the Living, she could at least teach him how to please a woman in bed, and it had been a while since she had taken someone to her bed anyway. The fact that she would be able to both have a good time and thank him for what he did was just a bonus.

**-Break-**

Minato was glad that they had to leave quickly. He didn't really know how to react to Kukaku trying to get in his pants, and there was only so much he could do to avoid her before she started to get suspicious. The problem was that he had no idea of what he should do, he understood that having sex with him was her way to thank him, and the fact that he knew the woman's type enough to know that she was not the type to sleep with just anyone meant that she was truly thankful for what he did. However, he wasn't exactly alright with the idea either. How could he, when he still mourned his lovers from his home dimension?

Many would have called him a man-slut for engaging in relationships with several girls, but he hadn't had much of a choice, since at the time he had to power up his Social Links. Besides, it wasn't as if he didn't feel anything for each of the girls he had been in a relationship with. Each of them had been different, and each he had treasured in their own way. For him, who had always been apathetic to just about everything, they were like angels, lights in an otherwise grey life, much like his friends in SEES had been.

However, the farthest he had gotten was some pretty heavy petting with Yuko, and he wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of having sex yet, even if thanks to Incubus, there was little doubt that he would know all there was to know on how to please a woman. The thing was, how was he supposed to have some privacy when he shared his mind with over a hundred different beings, who all took a deep interest in his life?

_Why wouldn't we want to watch when you finally score, man? This Kukaku woman is a total babe! Have you seen the size of her knockers?!_ Cheered Incubus, whom he could almost picture giving hip thrusts. _Bow chicka wow wow!_

_Indeed, she has a most delicious-looking body_, purred Lilith, with Succubus giving her approval as well. Both female demons were like most people pictured them: lascivious, and had no qualms suggesting him things that he was quite sure most porn stars didn't even know were possible.

_Minato has better things to do at the moment, _scowled Angel. While the Personas representing Demons and Devils were just as people imagined them, wicked and depraved beyond measure, so were the Angels in his head. Whenever a Devil whispered something in his mind, an Angel whispered another.

As the Personas inside his mind argued, he sighed. He might as well enjoy the peace for the moment, since in a few hours he would be in hostile territory. He had no illusions that sooner or later, someone would discover his ability, and that it would spell the end of his relative anonymity in this new world. At least he would have had some peace before then.

**-Break-**

Minato groaned as he heard another explosion. Granted, Kurosaki and Yasutora would never be able to pass for Shinigami, even if they were to take lessons for months, but he had hoped that they wouldn't be creating too much chaos. Perhaps he had been too optimistic…

Considering that since their entry in the Seireitei the entire Shinigami population was running around like headless chickens, chaos was a massive understatement as to what they had caused by breaking inside the town inside a town that was the Seireitei. Granted, a giant cannonball breaking through a barrier supposed to destroy anything that touched it was not exactly discreet, but unless each of them had landed right in front of Shinigami, they should have been able to sneak around mostly undetected.

He, for example, had ended right next to what was apparently the Shinigami school, called Shin'o Academy. All he had needed to do was borrow some clothes, one of the swords from the armory (they had a _lot_ of identical swords in there, he wondered what triggered the change that made some zanpakutos different from others), and he had been able to walk around without being bothered. When asked, he had simply told the few who wanted to know who he was that he was from the Seventh Division. It was not one of the most remarkable ones, meaning that it was enough to convince those that asked that he was telling the truth. He had been fortunate enough to not run into Shinigamis from that Division, otherwise he would have gotten into trouble. Nothing he couldn't deal with, since only seated officers should pose any threat to him, but he much preferred to stay in peace.

Still, he felt slightly irritated that all his time navigating the maze that was the Seireitei, trying to find _where_ Kuchiki was being held prisoner, was for naught, when he heard the announcement of her execution on Sokyoku Hill. At least now, he knew where he should be heading. Apparently, the Shinigamis were so busy running around to try and stop Kurosaki (who had, in only a few days, gotten strong enough to defeat Captains, as strange as it sounded) and his friends that the higher ups had advanced the date of her execution.

With a sigh, he started walking towards the Hill at a brisk pace. Given how large the place was, he knew he'd need to speed walk quite a bit if he wanted to reach the place in time.

**-Break-**

Ichigo growled, trying to crawl towards Aizen, however the wound the Captain had given him, narrowly missing his spine, and almost cleaving him in two, made it extremely hard, as the pain was almost too much for him to bear, and with each movement, he felt as if he would die, yet he was still drawing breath. At least, he realized, most of the Captains were there now, with Yoruichi and that petite woman who seemed to have a stick up her ass, holding their blades on the man, and restraining him.

However, his instincts, honed by his short but extremely dangerous tenure as a Shinigami, told him that the man still held the upper hand. All he needed was to see the smug smirk on the brown-haired Captain's face, to know that he had, somehow, anticipated what was happening. Then again, this was the guy who had led an army of Shinigami, including veteran warriors, by the nose, while he plotted right under their nose.

"It is time…"

"Get away, Soi Fon!" yelled Yoruichi, jerking back as if she had been burnt.

Time seemed to slow down for Ichigo, as a beam of light slowly descended, and by the way Aizen was smirking, it was obviously his way of escape. However, just before the light could touch him, the Captain was sent barreling away by a blur, the beam that should have rescued him hitting only an empty patch of ground.

He could vaguely make out screams of surprise, as the blur finally stopped its' movement, revealing itself in all its' chilling glory. At first glance, one could almost mistake the being that had sent the traitorous Captain flying for a Hollow, however it was far too well dressed for that.

A white, bird like mask separated in two pieces was fastened to its' head, the lower part looking like some kind of demented jaw. It was clad in dark blue clothing, with what resembled pure white boots from where Ichigo was. It also had elbow-length white gloves, and clutched a blade in its' right hand. It also had an odd belt, with something like a golden skull holding it fastened, and finally, around the being's shoulders were floating _coffins_. Said coffins were linked to its' shoulders by a chain that kept moving as if pushed by an inexistent breeze.

Despite the shock, Aizen had already recovered, and swung his blade at the being, who, unbelievingly, caught it with one hand, chuckling darkly, the sound a ragged, rasping noise, that sent shivers down Ichigo's spine, and, judging by the way some of the Lieutenants reacted, down theirs as well.

"What-?!" shouted the Captain, looking startled. Ichigo could understand, after all, he had learnt that usually, when two spiritual beings fought, the one who won was the one with the most spiritual power. Aizen had cut down _Captains_, the most powerful Shinigamis, as if they were nothing, and yet his blade was stopped by this unknown being. This could only mean a single thing.

_That thing is more powerful than Aizen?!_

The being raised its' own sword, ready to cut down the Captain, however, before it could do so, the traitor had been encased in the beam of light, saving him in the nick of time. Now that he was no longer in a precarious position, most of the man's composure seemed to return, as he gave a smug smile at the mask being.

"Well, it seems you were a little too late. How unfortunate for you."

This seemed to anger the being, who, with a roar of primal rage, started to strike the beam of light, making Aizen's smile widen.

"I do not know _what_ you are, but your efforts are futile. Nothing can break through a Negaciόn. In the end, even with your help, the Gotei Thirteen proved to be too weak."

By then, he was almost at the level of the strange portal that had opened in the sky of Soul Society, its' edges crowded with Menos Grandes, who were giving their usual moan-like howl.

_Crack!_

The sound of something cracking drew the attention of all those present, and all of the Shinigami even the Captain Commander himself, seemed to stare in shock at the large crack that had just appeared on the Negaciόn light.

"It seems there is more to you than what I previously thought…" smirked Aizen, "Farewell, Captains and Lieutenants of the Gotei Thirteen, and goodbye, young ryoka. You proved to be quite interesting, in the end…"

Whatever else was said was anyone's guess, as, apparently infuriated by Aizen's casual dismissal, the masked being roared, and, pointing its' sword towards the portal, fired a ball of almost blinding white light, said ball detonating just as the portal was closing, and causing an explosion so powerful, it sent several of the Lieutenants flying, while even the Captains were struggling to remain upright.

When the explosion finally subsided, the being threw its' head back, and howled, a mad, raging sound that echoed through all of Seireitei. Whoever heard the sound instinctively knew, that no matter what Aizen may be planning, that the one who was howling, would be there to destroy every single one of the man's plans.

**-Break-**

Now that the traitors had left, the Seireitei was finally able to start recovering. As countless members of the Fourth Division ran around, healing all those they could, many of those who were in good enough shape to fight were standing together, zanpakutos drawn, facing the ominous-looking being who had almost killed Aizen where they hadn't been able to even land a hit on the traitor.

Said group was made of Shunsui Kyouraku, Jushirou Ukitake, Soi fon, Genryusai Yamamoto, and their respective Lieutenants, the Shinigamis readying themselves for a fight, while the being simply looked at them, its' breathing ragged, rasping. Just being near it was enough to make even the Lieutenants uncomfortable, despite the fact that the odd being was not releasing an overpowering spiritual pressure.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" bellowed the Captain Commander, tapping the ground with his cane and releasing some of his power, focusing it on the masked being.

The only answer he received were dark chuckles, the being apparently amused by the order. Tapping his cane again, the old man was about to release more of his power, only for a perfectly calm voice to pipe up.

"His name is Thanatos."

It came as something of a shock for the assembled Shinigamis, to see a young man, in his late teens, with blue hair, and clad in the traditional garb of a Shinigami, calmly stride forwards until he was standing right next to the newly named Thanatos, showing absolutely no fear, despite the fact that the masked being could probably kill him with a simple move of his sword.

"I was not aware that there was more ryoka," Frowned Yamamoto.

"I am good at hiding," Idly commented the newcomer, seemingly perfectly at ease, despite the fact that he was surrounded by the most powerful fighters of the Seireitei, fighters currently on edge because of the being floating next to him.

"Well, Minato-bo," grinned Yoruichi, as she walked forwards, "you have some strange friends!"

She stopped grinning when Thanatos turned his head towards her, and stared at the dark-skinned woman with an intensity that happened to be quite unnerving.

"Thanatos, stop being a pervert," Sighed Minato, "My apologies, he is…quite obsessed with women, more so when they happen to be good looking."

This seemed to somewhat stun the assembled Shinigami, who had expected the ominous-looking being to try and attack them, not to, from what the ryoka had just told them, ogle a woman whom most would admit _was_ quite beautiful. Although one of the reactions was the radical opposite. Soi Fon seemed to redden in anger, and disappeared, reappearing above Thanatos, her hand poised to strike.

"How dare you desecrate Yoruichi-sama's purity with your filthy eyes, you foul beast?! _Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi_!"

Surprisingly, Yoruichi didn't even attempt to stop her former protégée, allowing her to strike Thanatos with her released zanpakuto. However, before she could disappear, the masked being had caught her, and slammed her into the ground like a rag doll several times.

"Thanatos," Warned Minato.

To the Shinigamis' surprise, Thanatos listened to the teen's order, releasing a groaning Soi Fon, giving what sounded like a whine. Considering how powerful he appeared to be, it was truly a surprise to see him listen to a teenager, who had, at best, average spiritual power, which meant he shouldn't even be able to see Pluses.

As the Death God stared at Minato, he started to dissipate in what appeared to be shards of blue light, the shards swirling softly around the teenager, sinking inside his body. Disregarding the curious stares sent his way, he crouched next to the rather battered Soi Fon, gently picking up her hand. Of course, the moment the proud Captain felt him touch her, she yanked her hand away, glaring at him as she tried to stand, despite the fact that Thanatos's actions had probably given her a concussion.

**Do be careful, little Bee**_**.**_

Soi Fon froze, feeling a soft, yet firm hand, holding her wrist. Looking up, she met the eyes of a very strange-looking woman. Said woman had, of all things, horns, long and wicked, that curved backwards in a soft curve, and _purple_ skin, with white lines drawing motives all over her body, that no stich of clothing covered, meaning that she was entirely naked. The quickly reddening Captain also noticed that the being holding her had a blade in each hand, while three metallic rings orbited slowly around her, using her body as axis.

**It is rude to stare, little Bee. Only Minato may look at me with those eyes.**

One of the Captains gave a wolf whistle, making the woman sigh.

**Do try to show some respect for women, Captain. I would hate to have to castrate you. Now, allow me to heal these injuries.**

_**Mediarahan.**_

The Shinigami blinked, looking down at their bodies, where soft green light had appeared, closing cuts, healing bruises, small or big, unnoticeable or serious, in a few seconds all their wounds had closed, leaving them as healthy as horses. The effect was not limited to the Captains and Lieutenants, either, as all those on Sokyoku Hill felt their wounds, various and diverse, heal in a matter of seconds.

"Fascinating," Smiled one of the Captains, a kind looking man with long, white hair, looking at the previously seriously wounded Byakuya Kuchiki, who had been slowly healed by a woman wearing a captain's haori, suddenly sit up as if he had not been badly cut up seconds before, "May I know whom we should thank for this, kind lady?"

The woman smiled, draping herself over the blue-haired teen, making another Captain, one wearing a flower kimono over his clothes, give a good-natured smile and another wolf-whistle.

**I am Cybele, Goddess of the Earth. If you want to thank anyone, thank Minato, for his will is my command.**

"You are his zanpakuto spirit?" choked the white-haired Captain, "But he cannot have Shinigami powers, he is not yet dead! And even if he was, it takes years to the best prodigies to materialize their zanpakuto spirits in the outside world!"

**Do not try to compare our bond with the one you have with your zanpakutos. Yes, we are similar in a way, but we are also vastly different. However, it is not my place to tell, and should you push Minato for answers, you will have to deal with far worse than me, for none of us would like to see him forced to answer people who hold no power over him.**

"Preposterous!" thundered the Captain Commander, frowning, "We cannot allow the boy to wander Soul Society without at least knowing what he may be capable of!"

Suddenly, the air seemed to still, as an absolutely _monstrous_ presence made itself known, causing most of the lower-level Shinigamis, who had been present mainly to heal the injured, to fall to their knees or faint outright. Even the Captains were sweating, and, much to their shock, the Captain Commander had put a knee to the ground, gasping for breath, as a far greater amount of power was focused on him.

**If you **_**dare**_** call Minato a **_**boy**_** again, I will flay you alive myself, Captain Commander or not!**

Cybele, no longer smiling, took a single step forward, and the ground around her foot was simply _crushed_, reduced to rubble by her mere presence.

**He has sacrificed more than you will ever imagine, and done more good than you could ever hope to understand! Need I remind you that it was you **_**own**_** subordinate who was sole responsible for the chaos unleashed on Seireitei? Mind your words, **_**mortal**_**!**

Despite the situation, the old man groggily stood up, leaning heavily on his cane, his half-open eyes staring at the angry Goddess.

"You would threaten Soul Society for a perceived slight to your wielder?"

Cybele laughed.

**He is not my "wielder", as you say, and yes, I would. But should this come to happen, you will have far worse to face than simply me. You simply do not understand who and **_**what**_** you are dealing with, Captain Commander. Minato does not particularly care for you, or your subordinates, but he values his underclassmen and their happiness. Be careful not to forget this.**

With those words, she vanished, disappearing in the same odd blue swirl that Thanatos had, while Minato calmly walked away.

**-Break-**

Minato's subsequent stay in Soul Society, was, for lack of a better word, an ordeal. Not quite on the level of Tartarus, or even managing his Social Links, but an ordeal nonetheless. After all, it had quickly gotten out that he was somehow able to summon beings that weren't zanpakuto spirits, beings powerful enough to do things Captain-class Shinigamis couldn't do. This meant that Shinigamis avoided him like the plague, outside of Kenpachi Zaraki, the Captain of the Eleventh Division, who kept trying to fight him. He had been able to avoid the man so far, but he wasn't confident he could have continued to do so for long.

There was, of course, also the matter of Kukaku Shiba. It seemed that far from having forgotten about him, that she had spent a lot of time thinking about how to _thank_ him for giving her back her arm. In retrospect, he really should have expected what had happened when Yoruichi had led him to an out of the way house, grinning like a Cheshire cat. It wasn't until the door had shut, and been barricaded too well for him to open it without using spells, that he had realized that he wasn't alone, and that Kukaku Shiba was, most definitively, an _extremely_ attractive woman, as well as quite determined.

In the end, he had spent the night with her, learning different ways to please a woman. He was _very_ grateful to his Personas for never speaking up during that time, as it was already awkward enough for him to lose his virginity to someone he barely knew. Then again, he could hardly say that he, as any hormonal teenager, wasn't attracted to the young woman, or that the sight of her in all her naked glory, _hadn't_ caused some _reactions_ on his part. It was just hard to wrap his mind around the fact that someone could be so open as to offer sex as a mean to thank someone who had helped them. Then again, Kukaku had been honest and had told him that she too had benefited from it, since it had been a long time since she had last had a lover.

"_It's a win-win situation, Minato," grinned a sweaty, and very naked Kukaku, as she drank some sake, "I get to feel good and thank you for what you did-" she lifted her regenerated arm, "and you get to learn how to please your future woman and feel good. I am not some kind of slut who spreads her legs for just anyone, but I'm not going to refrain from jumping the bones of a guy I find attractive and who has helped me either."_

Of course, the silence of his Personas had only lasted until about the next day midday, meaning that at that point, he had been heartily congratulated by just about all his Devil and Demon Personas, as well as quite a few others known for their inclination towards physical pleasure. The Angels didn't seem to mind either, as it had been consensual for both partners, although a few had been rather sour about the whole thing.

What had been _a lot stranger_ was when Lilith, Succubus and Lilim, the three female Personas he had of the Devil Arcana, had offered to have some _fun_ with him. The idea was rather ludicrous in his opinion, how was he even supposed to have sex with parts of his own psyche? He _could_ materialize them, give them a corporeal body, of course, but to partake in carnal activities with his Personas was just something that felt…_wrong_, somehow. Considering the ruckus the other Personas had raised at the idea, he had decided to never, _ever_, think about such a thing again, it was just better for his sanity.

**-Break-**

The return to the World of the Living was something that left Minato with mixed feelings. Of course, he was happy to be back, and to be left out of the potential war brewing between Aizen and Soul Society, but at the same time, it was simply not in his nature to hide when he could help. Granted, he wasn't exactly sure _how_ he could have helped, since none of his Personas had the speed displayed by the Shinigami, although some more than made up for it with their destructive potential. A fully powered Morning Star from Helel had the destructive potential of a nuke, without the radiations, something that wasn't exactly suited for fighting in the vicinity of people he didn't want to see to come to harm.

Then there was Ichigo's group of friends, who had heard of the fact that he could apparently summon otherworldly beings, which had led to a rather intense interrogation by Inoue, the auburn-haired girl excitedly asking him everything she could think of. Fortunately, her questions were rather vague, and she only asked him to "summon" once, so he had indulged her and summoned Hua Po. On a side note, the fairy-like Persona now refused to be summoned when the bubbly teen was around, since she had almost died from suffocation when Inoue had hugged the living daylights out of her.

As it was, for a while things were fairly ordinary, as Ichigo went to hunt Hollows now and then, and he didn't exactly need Minato's help for that. However, it was one evening, when he was slowly walking home after taking a small stroll, that he met two individuals whom his Persona instantly warned him against. Then again, said individuals were noticeable enough that he would have been wary of them anyway.

The first one had short, white hair, and his body structure made it clear that he was an accomplished fighter. In fact, for a split second, it felt as if he was staring at his friend Akihiko Sanada. Both had strong bodies, showing their dedication to ruthless training regimens, both had the same short, silver hair, and both had the same narrowed eyes. There was a stark difference, though, in the aura around them. Where Akihiko's presence spoke of confidence, his was easy enough to forget, and wasn't overpowering. This man, however, quite literally exuded the aura of a predator, which would make it hard for anyone to be in his presence for long.

The other one was a young woman around Mitsuru's age, and had the same intimidating aura about her. Her face was stern, much like his former lover's had been, however, where the redhead had been a sticker to the rules to the extreme, this young woman seemed to be the opposite, as she was dressed in a standard sailor uniform, with a teal blue/green theme.

"Minato Arisato?" asked the man, his voice rumbling.

He gave the man a slow nod. While he didn't have the ability to sense spiritual power like Shinigamis, he didn't exactly need it, as his Personas were more than able to do so themselves, and to relay their findings and impressions to him. Apparently, these two people were stronger than most Shinigamis, and something about them reminded his Personas of Hollows, although it was a faint trace, barely noticeable.

"Kensei Muguruma, and this is Lisa Yadomaru. We're…_friends_ of Urahara, and he's told us about what you did in Soul Society. We'd like it if you could come with us, we'd like to ask you a few questions, that alright with you?"

He could sense Lisa, if that was indeed her name, tense slightly, her hand slowly moving to the hilt of her sword. Either they were desperate to interrogate him, or they were no used to confront someone whose powers they had only an idea of.

_I do not sense any ill intention towards you, Minato, I think it is safe to follow them. At the very least, they might be useful allies if Aizen targets you,_ offered Melchizedek, the angel-like Persona being one of his wisest companions, his opinion was one he held in high regards.

With a nod, he followed the two.

**-Break-**

"Come on!" whined a flamboyant young man, with mid-long hair, and expressions that showed most of his teeth, giving him a rather disturbing grin. "Throw us a bone, man, we're not enemies! If Aizen investigates yer buddy Thanatos, yer going to be in deep shit! He's a manipulative bastard all right, but he's also someone who hates unknowns in his plans! If he finds out 'bout ya, ya can be sure he's going ta try and find more about ya, and yer powers!"

It turned out that the people he followed were _Visored_, Shinigamis with the power of Hollows. There were eight of them, all living in a warehouse that also served as their headquarters, with all the appliances one would find in a modern house.

They were apparently curious about his powers, and wanted to see if he could defend himself. It seemed that they knew Aizen, and held a deep grudge for the man, meaning that the did not want to see someone whom they saw as on _their_ side (i.e against Aizen) be forced to serve him, or worse, be killed.

"I can look after myself," Was his simple answer. This was true, after all he _had_ managed to seal a being supposed to be invincible. Granted, it had taken him to sacrifice his entire lifeforce to do so, but he had been able to do it in the end. And while Aizen was certainly powerful, his power paled compared to Nyx's or Erebus'. Unless the man found a way to seal his Personas away (which was unlikely, since he didn't know about Personas at all, but not impossible), he should be fine.

"Since you're so confident, how about a spar?" offered Kensei, who seemed to be slightly irritated at the moment. He figured that for someone so similar to Akihiko, pointless discussions were something he didn't enjoy, and probably hoped to see for himself if his claims were real by fighting him.

Still, was it all right? Sure, he could fight Kensei, he had quite the experience fighting with a blade, since he had primarily used a one-handed blade whenever SEES ventured inside Tartarus, and he had the Asauchi he had taken at the Academy with him, but he couldn't exactly use his more devastating skills…The Asauchi he had picked up, he had discovered, could be used like a temporary Nihil Weapon, allowing him to temporarily store a Persona inside it, granting it different abilities depending on which one he used. However, some of the weapons resulting from that manipulation were simply not weapons meant to spar, but tools of complete destruction.

Lucifer's blade was the strongest one of these weapons, and could completely alter landscapes if he wasn't cautious about how he used it. The blade could cut through anything, and he had witnessed firsthand what damage such a weapon could cause. If SEES hadn't been fighting inside Tartarus, which was somehow shut off from the outside world, he would never have used such a weapon; for a single swing of it could destroy an entire floor of the eldritch dungeon. Simply holding it infused his whole body with power, granting him massive boosts in strength, speed, stamina and magic. He had once tried the same skill without holding the blade, and then while holding it, and the results had been rather telling. A Maragidyne not "powered up", had severely damaged a group of Shadows during their exploration, but "powered up", it had ended a similar group in a single attack while also torching several _rooms_ behind said group.

_Minato, they wish to see if you can defend yourself? Then show them why they shouldn't mess with us! Kekekekekkeeee!_ Laughed Beelzebub. The fly-like Persona relished in crushing people, be it in combat, or outside of it, and loved to show off his superiority at every possible occasion.

_While I do not like to agree with a Devil, he is right, Minato._ Scowled Metatron, the most powerful of his Aeon Personas, and one who rarely, if ever, spoke up, preferring to let other, "lesser" Personas express opinions similar to his own. Unlike most of his Personas, who over time had become rather friendly with him, Metatron still stayed incredibly stern, and acted like a personal advisor to him. _Unless they are satisfied, they will never leave you alone. It is better to show them a glimpse of what you can do._

With a sigh, he nodded.

**-Break-**

Kensei growled, as his fists once again hit empty air, Minato simply leaning to the side, avoiding his punch by bare millimeters, bending his body in a way that prevented him from kicking him without exposing himself. And while he was confident the teen couldn't hurt him, he had not become a Captain by taking unnecessary risks, especially against someone who could summon beings able to rattle even the Captain Commander.

Still, he had to admit, for someone supposed to have no foundation in how to use a sword, Minato was doing well, _too_ well actually. While his style was definitively unorthodox, it was very efficient, made to take advantage of every opportunity given to him by his opponent, and he seemed unsurprised, even by the maneuvers he tried, things that no human opponent should be able to do.

Then again, he _had_ been going easy on him so far, he was only using shikai, hadn't used the mask, or even cast any kido.

_Maybe I should try to kick things up a notch, to see how he deals with it, since it seems he can take it…_

His opinion made, he jumped back, landing about ten feet away from the blue-haired teen, who, infuriatingly, had a hand in his pocket and didn't look at all sweaty, as if he was used to fight for long periods of time.

"Heh, seems you've got some stamina, at least!"

A single eyebrow quirked up in question, and an almost unnoticeable smirk made its' way on the teen's face.

"I am used to fighting in more tiring conditions. May I ask when you will start being serious, though?"

Kensei felt a grin form on his face.

"So, you noticed?"

The teen gave a simple nod.

"You have barely used anything outside of physical attacks, when I am aware that you should be able to do much more."

With a grin, Kensei pointed his hand at the teen.

"Well then, let's see how you do against this. _Sokatsui!"_

Blue flames burst from his hand, headed straight at Minato, who, instead of moving, simply stood, seemingly waiting to take the attack head-on. As an explosion of blue fire engulfed him, Kensei felt himself grow slightly nervous. While his attack was certainly nowhere near as powerful as it could have been, it was still powerful enough to deal a good amount of damage to Shinigamis of even Lieutenant level, yet the teen had seemingly considered it weak enough to shrug it off.

His suspicions were proven when the smoke surrounding Minato cleared, revealing him to be in perfect condition, without even a single hair out of place, which irked Kensei slightly. While he was not Kenpachi, a mindless berserker who tried to kill every worthwhile opponent he could find, he still had his pride as a warrior, and so far, Minato had been an extremely irritating opponent, only dodging or parrying his attacks, without even trying to harm him himself.

"Come on! This is supposed to be a _spar_, you're supposed to try and attack me too!" growled the white-haired Visored, growing increasingly annoyed with the passive behavior of the teen.

That is, until said teen pointed his finger at him and let loose a barrage of lightning he hastily dodged, landing a few feet away from where he had stood, staring at the blackened and charred piece of land he had been standing on a few seconds prior.

"That's already better!" he grinned. "But Aizen and his guys aren't going to be so easy to take down!"

**Whoever said this was supposed to take you down?**

He didn't have the time to avoid the blow that sent him flying, and he winced as he felt some of his ribs break. While not a new sensation to him, it wasn't one he was used to either, and certainly not when he had no clue as to _what_ had broken his ribs, although he was willing to bet his next turn of cleaning duty that it was one of Minato's little summons.

Whirling on himself, he landed clutching his ribs, focusing his spiritual power to speed up the recovery, a nifty little trick that certainly helped Captains fight longer than their weaker subordinates.

Looking towards Minato, he was unsurprised to see a giant with golden armor, a white cape and boots, as well as a horned helmet covering his entire face, holding a Warhammer in his still extended arm.

"Nice swing." He acknowledged, taking a fighting stance, "But it'll take a bit more to take me down!" he roared, leaping forward.

**I am Thor, son of Odin, and God of thunder. Try to entertain me, little man!**

**-Break-**

"Alright, ya can take of yerself, ya made yer point. But lemme tell ya this, Minato. Ya might be one Hell of a scary kid, but Aizen ain't going to fight fair, so be careful. He's the kind of guy who'd use anyone to get to ya," Said Shinji, while Kensei grumbled in the background, bandaged like a mummy.

While certainly powerful, Thor's strength, and his special skill "Heavy Master", which doubled the damage done by his bludgeoning attacks, meant that any hit landed on Kensei would have been enough to level a building. The former Captain's resilience was admirable, but even he couldn't keep fighting for long in those conditions. He couldn't even land a hit on the Persona, as whenever he was close enough to do so, he was blasted away with a swing of a hammer.

He shrugged. While he would protect those who needed it, he wasn't going to get himself into danger like that, and even if he did, he doubted the man could account for the fact that he had over a hundred beings, some powerful enough to level _countries_, whom he could ask help from. He knew that he could order them around if he so wished, but he felt it would be a travesty of their power, a slap to the face in regards to how he had obtained them. They were the legacy of his friends, the proof that they had lived, and created bonds with him, and he would not lower himself to use them merely like puppets.

_And this is why we'll always be there for you, Minato, _smiled Cybele.

"Still, it's hard ta believe ya can summon spirits like this," Continued Shinji, pointing at Thor, who was launching a laughing Mashiro into the air, screaming her lungs out in glee, "By the way, Yoruichi said ya summoned a naked woman back in Soul Society, so why the big guy here?" whined the deceptively young-looking man.

"If she felt ogled, she would castrate you," He simply explained. Cybele, as the ultimate Persona of the Lovers Aracana, was firmly devoted to him, and did not appreciate being ogled, despite the fact that she was constantly naked. The only reason the other males in SEES were still alive was because they were his friends, and even then, she had come dangerously close to emasculating Junpei once.

"Ow, come on!" whined Shinji, grabbing his shoulders. "I've been living with these guys"-he pointed at the assembled Visored, "for a damn _century_! I haven't gotten to see a _real, _naked woman in over a century! Please, I wanna see some naked flesh!"

By that point, Shinji was on the ground, prostrated, and Minato was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable.

…_I pity the guy, I really do,_ said Incubus, who for once was rather serious, _Going without booty for a century? Poor guy must be about to explode! Hey, Succubus, what do you say? Wanna help him?_

_Why not?_ Shrugged the demoness, _Minato, if you would…_

As usual, with merely a thought, the familiar blue shards spiraled in front of him, coalescing into the shape of a young blonde woman with a tail, and wearing a black leotard, her wings flapping slowly.

**I am Succubus, the Seducer. Greetings, Visored.**

Minato was unsure if it was a good or a bad sign that Shinji had begun making worshipping gestures and chanting something like "the Chosen One is among us".

**-Break-**

The attack didn't really come as a surprise to Minato. From what he had gathered, Aizen was a very cunning man, and had demonstrated great interest in Ichigo. It only made sense that he would send someone to, if not eliminate him, at the very least gauge the threat he posed to the man's plans. He had felt the pull on his soul, but had been able to ignore it rather easily, after all, he had stood up to Death given form itself, so he had grown some form of resistance to attacks that affected souls.

He had rushed towards the place where the attack had taken place, however he was too late, and when he arrived, it was to see Ichigo holding his head, Chad with his arm shredded, and Inoue already working to repair it. Now, while he was no genius, he was not stupid either, and he had glimpsed enough information from the Visored to know that Ichigo was currently fighting against his Inner Hollow.

The concept itself was rather stupid to him. From what he understood, an Inner Hollow was merely another part of yourself, only it was the part you didn't want to acknowledge, and repressed for the sake of living in society. It was not something you could simply decide to control, if anything, beating the manifestation of your purest, if darkest, self, to the ground and forcefully using its' power, sounded incredibly wrong. Granted, he didn't have an Inner Hollow, but some of his Personas were rather similar to that. Satan, for instance, or Beelzebub, could easily influence his thoughts if he didn't resist their influence. However, the main difference between what he did and what the Visored did, was that he acknowledged the Persona, and while he refused to bow to their influence completely, he allowed them some freedom in exchange for their power. It was more of a symbiotic relationship than the one the Visored had with their inner demons, and he was beginning to think it would be good to point out his methods to Ichigo.

**-Break-**

"You want me to what?! Are you insane?!" yelled Ichigo, making Minato sigh.

While he was used to deal with hotheaded people, the orange-haired teen was beyond stubborn, and usually did what he felt was right, regardless of what others would think. This was why he felt it necessary to have this discussion with him. Ichigo would never ask help from anyone, unless he had absolutely no choice, and given that the only ones who could give him advice on how to deal with his Hollow were the Visored, it was obvious that he would listen, if reluctantly, to their counsel.

"Ichigo, your Inner Hollow is a part of you. Subduing it like the Visored do is _not_ a good solution. It will only serve to make him even keener on using any little opportunity to wrestle control from you, and this could be a recipe for disaster in the current situation."

"Shinji and the others seem to be doing fine," pointed out the Substitute Shinigami, looking aggravated.

"And that surprises you? They have had over a century to learn how to prevent their Inner Hollows from taking over, and yet they have not had a single serious fight in the same amount of time. I highly doubt that they know what will happen if they are seriously injured and unable to keep their Hollows from taking over. You, on the other hand, are almost guaranteed to end up in such a situation, given what I have seen of your actions in Soul Society. You cannot afford to be taken over at the least expected moment."

"So what do you suggest?! Ignoring it?!" yelled the teen, who had unconsciously begun leaking spiritual power all over the place. Fortunately for Minato, Thanatos could easily shield him from it.

"You are acting like a child, Ichigo. I would not have asked to talk with you if the only alternative I had to offer was to ignore the problem, which would be even worse. No, from what I gathered, your Inner Hollow seems to be intelligent, therefore you should try to form a working relationship instead of trying to deny him everything."

Seeing his underclassman about to retort, he glared at Ichigo, something so unusual that it shut the teen up.

"Do not deny it. What you are doing is basically refusing to let your Hollow experience any kind of freedom, and expecting him to lend you his power when you need it. How would you feel if someone locked you up, ignored you, and then came to you expecting you to help them?"

"I…I'd tell them to go fuck themselves," Whispered the Visored, looking like he had just taken a blow to the stomach. It was obvious he had never looked at the situation under that angle, and that it was shaking him.

"For the matter, have you ever tried to be civil whenever you saw your Inner Hollow? Or have you only ever fought him?"

He could see that his words were making the teen think. Of course, even if his Hollow was intelligent, it was likely that he was a very "free" being, meaning that he would have to work hard to earn anything from his Inner Hollow, but at least it didn't completely prevent the possibility of a peaceful resolution.

"I see I have given you something to think about. Now it is up to you to see what you want to do with my advice."

**-Break-**

When Ichigo and his friends went to rescue Inoue, Minato did not follow them. While he wanted to make sure his underclassmen, and tentative friends, would be alright, he was perfectly aware that the healer's abduction was a clever plot to spread Soul Society's forces thin. Besides, if there was one thing he had learnt about the orange-haired teen, it was that he had the luck of the Devil, and an unbending will. It would be a cold day in Hell before he allowed any harm to come to his friends. However, even he couldn't be everywhere, and if Aizen was targeting Karakura, then it was better that he stayed there to protect the inhabitants should the need arise.

He had still checked on Ichigo's progress, and was quite pleased to learn that he had reached a tentative agreement with his Inner Hollow, who, apparently, rather liked him for '_getting through to the King_', whatever it meant. The fact that the teen had looked rather baffled about the notion told him that it was rather hard for his inner demon to express anything like friendship, so he had thanked the teen.

Now, all that was left was to wait, and pray that the group of teens would come out unscathed.

**-Break-**

"Explain this!" screamed Chizuru, who looked moments away from having a panic attack.

Tatsuki couldn't really fault the lesbian, given the situation. She herself was doing her best not to panic, even if she somehow knew that whoever that _monster_ they had seen earlier, that _thing_ wearing the shell of a man, would hunt them down, for the only reason that they knew Ichigo.

_What the Hell have you gotten us into, Ichigo_?_ Get here quickly, dumbass, or we're all dead_!

"It would be quite hard to explain," Said a calm voice, making them jump, and turn frantically towards the source of the voice.

Standing there, his hands in his pockets and slightly slouched as usual, Minato Arisato was staring at them impassively, looking as if nothing was out of place, despite the fact that everyone in town was laying unconscious on the ground, or that there was some kind of human-like monster walking the streets, his presence alone being enough for force her to her knees and make her feel as if she was but an ant standing in front of a God.

"Aristo-senpai?" asked Mizuiro, looking honestly surprised to see their upperclassman standing there.

"We do not have the time for explanations. Please do not struggle," Said the teen, his cold grey eyes staring at them emotionlessly.

"Struggle? What-" begun to ask Tatsuki, only to choke at the sight of several beings appearing out of thin air next to the blue-haired teen.

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, she had been scooped up in the arms of a beautiful, and, she realized, _stark naked_ male angel, with horns protruding from his head, the only thing protecting his modesty a bit of cloth softly hovering around his body.

"Wh-" she started, only to hear a shriek as she watched Chizuru holding onto a beautiful, _naked_, _purple_ woman with horns, her usual perversion nowhere in sight as the woman took flight at speeds that left her dazed.

The angel carrying her quickly joined the naked purple woman, after grabbing Keigo, while Mizuiro was being carried by a giant tiger matching the old descriptions of Byakko in legends.

"Arisato!" she screamed, looking around for the bluenette, to demand an explanation, only to nearly fall out of the angel's arms when he spoke.

**Worry not, Arisawa Tatsuki. Minato has entrusted you to us, and we shall ensure that your safety is assured.**

"You speak?! And how the Hell do you know my name?!" she demanded, more curious than angry.

**Indeed we do. And we know your name because so does Minato. Everything he knows, we know. Do not expect an explanation just yet, however. Minato will want to explain things himself. Feel free, however, to ask questions not related to the situation at hand.**

Tatsuki growled but nodded. While she was unhappy at being denied the information she wanted, at least she would get it when all was said and done. The martial artist in her could acknowledge that trying to interrogate someone when in the middle of what appeared to be a warzone was a bad idea.

It didn't mean that she'd let Minato or Ichigo slip away as they usually did, though.

**-Break-**

Minato sighed in relief as he watched the small specks that were his schoolmates disappear in the distance. While Aizen could likely have tried to catch up with them, from what he understood of the man he doubted he would do so. Given his rather arrogant nature he'd undoubtedly be basking in his success and marveling at his new power, while waiting for Ichigo to arrive, since he apparently had a strange fixation on the orange-haired teen. He'd used the fact that the man seemed to be taking his time instead of rushing to kill as many people as possible, to have his other Personas evacuate as many people as possible from the area.

He didn't want any more of them to die while being exposed to Aizen's presence. The only reason _he_ didn't disintegrate was thanks to the fact his Personas granted him power on par with a Shinigami Captain, and even then, that was far below what he could bring to the table if he so wished. His most powerful Personas were leagues above the traitorous Shinigami as he was now, and the only reason he hadn't accidentally annihilated Tartarus back in Port Island was because the dungeon-like tower had been incredibly sturdy, to the point of being nigh-indestructible. Sure, some walls are levels _had_ been severely damaged during the time SEES had explored it, but that was when using attacks that would have ordinarily annihilated _buildings_, while even then the overall structure was hardly damaged.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he put his hands in his pockets and left to confront the would-be God. Perhaps he'd be the one to stop him, perhaps not, depending on how fast Ichigo could show up. The teen had more of a reason to deal with the man than him, but if Aizen proved to be too dangerous he might have to deal with the man himself. And while he could feel the power coming from the former Shinigami (at this point it was clear the man was no longer a simple Shinigami but something more), people in this dimension had yet to see the true extent of the powers _he_ could bring to bear.

One did not seal a being beyond human comprehension by being weak.

**-Break-**

Ichigo Kurosaki was confused. He'd come out of the Dangai, after the equivalent of two years of training with his father (his Shinigami father, hadn't that been a surprise), having mastered his Zanpakuto and ready to sacrifice his powers to use the attack that would end Aizen. He'd been expecting many things coming out, none of them good, but his classmates sitting next to a surprised-looking Gin Ichimaru was not of them.

At the sight of one of the traitors, especially so close to his friends, he tensed, before the man noticed him and lifted his arms in the universal motion of peace.

"Easy there, Kurosaki. I'm not your enemy anymore."

"And I am supposed to trust you just like that?"

**No, but what if **_**I**_** told you he was telling the truth?**

Whirling around, he came face to face with the same naked woman he had seen before at Sokyoku Hill, the one Minato had apparently summoned. Of course, being the gentleman he was, he immediately turned away, blushing to the roots of his hair.

"Put some clothes on dammit!"

Seriously, what was with him and beautiful women showing up naked? First Yoruichi, now this woman…Cybele, if he remembered right, what next? Was the Universe trying to tell him something?

The woman merely chuckled, stretching in a way that had him avert his eyes while noticing that Chizuru was drinking in the sight with a lecherous grin. At least she seemed well enough to be back to her usual, perverted self.

"Oi, Ichigo!"

Blinking, he turned to see his childhood friend standing in front of him with an irate look on her face, one that made him worried for his safety, no matter how much more powerful than her he was. Tatsuki _would_ find a way to hurt him, there were no ifs or buts about it.

"Stop gawking and go help Arisato-senpai! He's been fighting that weird butterfly guy, …Aizen? Aizen, for the last fifteen minutes because you were taking your sweet time, so hurry up and go help him!

And you better kick his ass, I have _quite_ a few things to ask you, bastard!"

Aaaand reality check. Shaking himself out of his embarrassment, he nodded, taking off at full speed towards where he could feel Aizen's spiritual pressure and Minato's presence. While he didn't trust Gin, he trusted his upperclassman, and if he had left one of his summons, one who was powerful enough to cow the Captain-Commander with his friends, he knew he didn't have to worry.

With a nod to group he flash-stepped away, already slipping back into battle-mode. Aizen wasn't an enemy to underestimate.

**-Break-**

Minato sighed tiredly against the wall he'd been resting on. Keeping Aizen occupied had been much harder than he'd expected, and he was only alive thanks to a lot of luck, along with his obscene level of personal power. Had he not been just short of being a God himself (although given what he could do, that was debatable), he'd have died within the first thirty seconds of their confrontation.

Even then, he'd been on the verge of losing when Ichigo had turned up, and he'd been more than happy to leave everything to the younger teen while he healed himself. It was his underclassman's fight, and he would be a burden should he stay in the area, so he'd summoned one of his Personas to take him back to Karakura, while infusing his body with healing magic. His wounds had recovered, but he was still quite sore from the whole thing. Getting thrown around like a ragdoll hadn't been fun.

As he slowly walked down the street, which was slowly transitioning back into the World of the Living, he suddenly found himself in front of a crater holding an unconscious blond woman. She was beautiful, even in her beaten-up state, and while at first he could have mistaken her for a Shinigami, the rather large mask covering her jaw and part of her breasts classified her as an Arrancar, a human-like Hollow who had taken off her mask to get Shinigami powers, or so the Vizards had told him. Apparently, they constituted, or _had_ constituted, the bulk of Aizen's army, though even in her defeated state this woman was clearly no foot soldier, as he could feel her power from where he stood.

Despite being unconscious and badly beaten, she was still one of the most beautiful women he'd ever met, with a tanned body that was quite exotic for this part of the world. Even more so was the fact that she had sun-kissed blonde hair, which clashed wonderfully with her skin. Though her beauty was unfortunately marred by the large pool of blood under her, two great cuts marring her otherwise perfect body.

He briefly hesitated before moving to heal her. While it was something of a gamble to heal an unknown like her, his time in SEES had sensibly changed him from the apathetic person he'd been, and he'd learnt firsthand how important life was, enough so to treasure it under its every form. That, and his gentleman side couldn't bear to see a woman in such a state. While he was fully aware that she was likely more than dangerous when it came to fighting, he was loath to see conflict, and Aizen had even admitted that he'd never seen the Arrancar as anything more than convenient pawns.

_Are you sure about this, Minato_? Asked Metatron, the stern Angel still rather agitated. He'd taken up the role of a father figure to Minato, and disliked the idea of his charge taking risks.

He simply hummed his approval, knowing that his Personas would listen to him. Life was all about second chances, and he was firmly convinced that given the right circumstances, everyone could change for the better. A stunning example of this had been Chidori, who'd earned her second chance at life but giving hers up to save Junpei, and who'd later woken from her coma with no memories of her time in Strega, becoming a blank slate ready to enjoy her new life.

Fortunately, a quick examination of the wounds showed them to be not life-threatening, albeit barely. From what he could see, she would've likely been able to eventually heal herself, but she would have been weakened a great deal for a while, but with his assistance she would easily recover.

A quick _Diarahan_ taxing the little reserves he had left saw the blonde's eyes fluttering open, revealing beautiful aqua eyes, which blinked a few times before narrowing, the woman sitting up rather abruptly, a snarl escaping her mask.

"Aizen!"

"Aizen has been defeated," he calmly explained. He'd left one of his Personas to keep an eye on the fight in the unlikely event of Ichigo needing his help, and as he had expected, his underclassman had pulled through, Aizen getting sealed by some spell developed by Kisuke Urahara. He wasn't entirely comfortable knowing that the man hadn't been killed, but at the same time it would have been too much to ask Ichigo to kill him when by all rights he shouldn't even have been fighting.

"How are you feeling?" he inquired, keeping a polite face when the blonde whirled around, staring at him with her sword in hand, only lowering it a fraction when she had gotten a good look at him.

"You are…the ryoka that helped Ichigo Kurosaki in Soul Society," she stated, more than questioned.

He nodded.

"Arisato Minato. Please do not move too much, I healed your wounds but you are still recovering."

He could see the suspicion in her eyes, and he made to gesture to his own disheveled appearance and then to her.

"I am in no state to fight you, miss…?"

It was plain as day that the Arrancar did not trust him, though given what he'd seen of Shinigami her suspicion wasn't entirely unwarranted. If the Vizards had been exiled for accidentally getting Hollow-like powers it was highly unlikely that the Thirteen Squads would consider even sentient, human-like Hollows as anything different than their lesser brethren, namely enemies to kill on sight.

Eventually, and after scrutinizing him for a long while with her sword raised, the blonde Hollow lowered her blade, inclining her head in a grateful nod.

"Tier Hallibel, Thir-_former_ Third Espada. Thank you for healing me, Arisato-san. I am in your debt."

Then her posture grew tense, her eyes narrowing in worry, before flickering to him, a spark of conflict entering the aquamarine orbs before they once more grew hard as steel.

"Arisato-san, I hate to impose on your goodwill any more than this, but please answer me truthfully: if I asked you to heal my subordinates, would you do it, or would I have to threaten you to do it?"

He felt slightly offended that she would ask, but then quickly squashed the feeling, knowing that the woman in front of him was simply worried over the fate of her subordinates, something that immediately had his opinion of her rise. Given what little he knew of Hollows, for this woman to care about her underlings when her own safety was likely already threatened, she was quite certainly a very good leader.

"I would heal them," he offered simply, "provided that they would not attack me, or any of the people in the area."

He could see relief briefly flicker in the blonde's eyes, the woman gingerly standing up, surprise making her eyes widen when no pain came. He didn't know how Hollow regeneration worked, but he was willing to bet that it left the regenerated parts sore for a little while afterwards, while his Personae's magic did not have the same unfortunate side-effect.

Still, her surprise disappeared quickly, as she gave him an appreciative nod.

"Thank you, I will take you to them. I am in your debt Arisato-san. And please call me Hallibel, you have certainly earned it."

"There is no debt owed for doing what is right, Hallibel-san."

**-Break-**

As it turned out, Hallibel's subordinates, her Fraccion, were in far worse shape that their leader, and by the time he'd managed to put them back in reasonably good shape, he was barely able to stay conscious, his energy completely drained from the ordeal of fighting Aizen and then having to expend even more of his power. Not that he would have refused to do so. While Orihime Inoue and the Shinigami could heal, he had yet to see a single Hollow with the same ability, meaning that Hallibel and her Fraccion would have had to heal by themselves. And he was never one to stand by and do nothing when he could help, his time with SEES had taught him that much.

As he lay slumped against a wall, watching through dropping eyes the three young women bicker like old friends, he felt a smile tug at his face. Clearly these Arrancar were not so different from Humans or Shinigami, if they could act so childishly.

Feeling someone tug at his arm and wrap their own around his shoulders to help him up, he blinked owlishly at the blonde currently holding him.

"I owe you more than you realize, Arisato-san. Please let me take you to your friends now, you need to rest, and I shall not let you sleep on the streets like some kind of vagabond."

"Ah…thank you," he sluggishly nodded.

Truth be told, he felt like taking a nap right then and there, but he didn't want to inconvenience the blonde woman, especially when there were antsy Shinigami running around who'd attack them on sight.

"AAAAHHHHH, Hallibel-sama!" screamed one of the three Fraccion, upon spotting their leader helping him up, "You don't have to do that!"

"He likely saved our lives, Apacci, the least we can do is help him get back to his friends," remarked another of the young women. While the first to speak seemed like quite the tomboy, the second was much more feminine, and softer-spoken, something his ears could appreciate after the near deafening shout of Apacci," However, Hallibel-sama, please let us help him in your stead."

He could see the blonde woman narrow her eyes at her subordinates, and when she spoke her voice was a bit frostier than he was used to.

"Sung-sun, please tell me that you do not believe that helping the person who healed us is beneath me."

In her defense, Sung-sun quickly shook her head, looking a bit sheepish.

"No, no! However, Hallibel-sama, wouldn't it be better if your hands were not occupied while we bring him back to his friends? With the Shinigami prowling everywhere, you are the one most likely to be able to fight them off, are you not? If one of us helped him the others could be ready to defend ourselves."

He felt Hallibel relax slightly and was relieved to see the hardness disappear from her gaze.

"Very well. Sung-sun, please help him. Apacci, Mila-rose, be ready for anything."

"Hai!"

"Hai, Hallibel-sama"!

**-Break-**

As expected, when he appeared in front of the group of Ichigo's friends, his arm over Sung-sun's shoulders, and with the other Arrancar of the group holding their blades in hand, the atmosphere grew tense immediately, the few Shinigami in the group immediately drawing their own blades, despite the fact that they all looked like they had seen better days.

"Arisato-san!" gasped Orihime, the busty young woman staring at him worriedly as she saw his frazzled state. While he certainly looked worse than he felt, the fact was that he was running on fumes and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, even if it wasn't in a bed. At this point, even grass would have felt like the best mattress in the world.

"What have you done to him?!" snarled Renji Abarai.

At this point, he knew both Shinigamis standing there by name, given that they usually got involved in Ichigo's adventures more often than not. That, and both had played important roles in the why he'd had to help the orange-haired teen storm Soul Society.

"We didn't do shit to him, shithead!" snarled Apacci.

From what little he had seen of Hallibel and her Fraccion, Apacci was _extremely_ short-tempered, confrontational, and had a mouth on her that could make a sailor blush. Not exactly the best behavior to have when they were trying to avoid a fight. While he was fairly confident that both sides could take care of themselves, he had healed the Arrancar in the hopes that they _wouldn't_ fight the Shinigami.

"Shithead, huh?" growled Renji, his hand moving to his sword.

"Apacci, enough," commanded Hallibel, glaring at her subordinate, before turning towards the now rather agitated group, "We did not harm him, you have my word. He healed us."

"And we are supposed to trust you, Hollow?" snarled Uryu, the Quincy having already drawn his bow and aimed it at the blonde Arrancar, who put her arm to the side to block her outraged subordinates.

"They are telling the truth," he explained, wobbling slightly, Sung-sun catching him before he fell.

"What about your wounds?"

"Aizen," explained Hallibel, her voice filled with venom, "He stalled that traitor long enough for Kurosaki-san to deal with him. Shinigami, we are not here to fight you. We are here to honor a small part of the debt we owe Arisato-san. He needs healing and rest. I trust that we can entrust him to you?"

"Of course, Espada-san!" cheerfully nodded Kisuke Urahara, the man appearing in between the two groups with an unconscious Ichigo, "So do not worry, Kurosaki-san will be fine. He is simply suffering from the backlash of his last attack. Nothing that some rest can't heal. And I believe the same is true for you, Arisato-san?"

He nodded blearily. At this point the only thing keeping him up was Sung-sun's support, otherwise he'd already have fallen unconscious. Even without any of his Personae materialized, his reserves of energy were the lowest they had been for a long while, understandable given how much he had exerted himself against Aizen. The man had not been someone he could fight without going all out, and as powerful as he had become, he was still mostly human, thus his body could hardly channel the energy required to keep his strongest Personae materialized for long.

"We will leave him in your care, then," nodded Hallibel, before turning and bowing to him, an action that caused more than a few of those present to squawk or blink in surprise, "We are in your debt, Arisato-san. Please feel free to call on us should you need anything. Despite what Shinigami might think, some of us Arrancar have a sense of honor."

As Sung-sun helped him down, he barely managed to nod before unconsciousness claimed him.

**-Break-**

The next time he woke up, he found himself in a hospital bed, though a quick look around amended that thought to a clinic bed, as he could see the room wasn't configured the same as what he had seen when visiting Chidori with Junpei.

His thoughts were derailed when the sound of footsteps reached his ears. Turning to the entrance of the room, he saw a teenage girl, probably around eleven, standing there and looking at him with surprise. She was quite short, with surprisingly light hair, though given Ichigo's bright orange hair he wasn't overly put out by the sight, not that he'd judge anyone by their hair color.

"Ah, Arisato-san, you're awake!" smiled the girl, hurrying over to the side of his bed, "You look better than when Tou-chan brought you here. How do you feel?"

"Sore."

"Ah, Tou-chan said that it's normal. Are you hungry? You've been asleep for two days. Nii-san is asleep too, but Tou-chan said that you can ask him if you need anything."

"Thank you," he nodded, "But, who are you?"

The girl recoiled, blushing, before giggling sheepishly.

"Ah, sorry. I am Kurosaki Yuzu, Ichigo's little sister."

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! OUR GUEST IS AWAAAAKEEE!" suddenly bellowed a voice, making him jump in surprise, a black-haired, bearded man running into the room while making comical grand motions with his arms.

"Tou-chan, sshhhh!" scowled the girl, "He's just awakened, he doesn't need you startling him!"

"WOOOOOOOOOO! So crueeeellllllll, Masaki, where did I go wrong raising our beloved daughters?!" yelled the man, rolling on the ground and crying comical tears.

Minato could only stare at the man blankly, before looking back at Yuzu, a politely perplexed expression on his face.

"Don't worry, Tou-chan is always a bit dramatic," smiled the light-haired girl, before moving to exit the room, "I'll bring you some chicken soup!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOO! Masaki, our daughter is so nice to strangers!"

While at ease in most situations, Minato couldn't help the slight twitch of his eye. Weren't patients supposed to be treated in calm environments? While some animation was good, for some inexplicable reason, the man who had to be Ichigo's father made him want to punch him.

Then the man appeared right next to him, all traces of his earlier goofy self nowhere to be seen, a serious expression on his face, before bowing at the waist to him.

"Arigato, Arisato-san. Your actions saved a lot of lives two days ago, and thanks to you my son will not have to lose his Shinigami powers. Even if he was ready for it, the fact that thanks to you he won't have to lose a part of himself is a relief."

"Lose his Shinigami powers?" he asked, perplexed. Why would Ichigo lose his powers? Granted, he didn't know how Shinigami powers worked, but he was reasonably sure that they couldn't be lost so easily.

"Usually he would have, for using he Final Getsuga Tenshou, but apparently something is stabilizing his power and preventing it from fading," explained the man, before adding, seeing his perplexed expression, "The Final Getsuga Tenshou is the technic my son used against Aizen to defeat him. It is extremely powerful, but it comes at the cost, or _should_ have come at the cost of his powers. Not that I am complaining. As much as I dislike my son getting in trouble with Soul Society, he shouldn't have to lose part of himself cleaning up their messes."

"No, indeed, he should not," he nodded, his eyes burning holes in the man's face.

"Trust me, if I could, I would have taken my son's place in a heartbeat, but I lost my own powers a long time ago, while meeting my wife. As much as I loathe this, I can only watch over my children and pray that nothing bad happens to them.

And as you strike me as someone intelligent, Arisato-san, I did not tell anything about Soul Society, Shinigami, or Hollows, to my children, because as their father, I had hoped that they would never need it. Of course, my hopes were for nothing, but at least I can count on some friends to keep an eye on Ichigo."

"Arisato-san, your soup!" chirped Yuzu, walking in holding a bowl of steaming liquid.

The mere smell of it was enough to make his mouth water, and his stomach grumbled loudly as the hunger of two days without food hit him like a truck.

Before he was even aware of it, he was shoveling the soup down like it was the best meal he ever had, and in less than a minute the bowl had been stripped clean, as he extended an arm towards the smiling girl.

"Delicious. May I have more?"

"Of course, Arisato-san!" smiled Yuzu, running off to fetch him another bowl.

"My daughter likes you," smiled her father, "And Ichigo does too. With everything you've done for this family, you are welcome here any time you wish."

"Thank you," bowed Minato.

"No, Arisato-san, thank _you_."

**-Break-**

Of course, the aftermath of something such as the Winter War (as the conflict with Aizen had now been dubbed) was not over so quickly. For one, the Shinigami were now exceedingly curious of the boy who'd managed to stall the madman long enough for Ichigo to arrive, not to mention the fact that his healing of the former Tercera Espada had seen a few teeth grinding among the most anti-Hollow Shinigami. Nonetheless, as a Human, and one who had provided valuable help to Soul Society, he was left alone, especially since it had become known that he had fought Aizen to a standstill for a while, which even the Captain-Commander had not managed.

However, the most important event following the end of the War was without a doubt his meeting with the other students from Karakura involved. While he was never a personable person, he felt that they at least deserved to know who their upperclassman was, if only to quell their curiosity and distract them from the fact that they had very nearly died.

The meeting was held at Urahara's shop, as it was conveniently large enough to hold their entire group, allowed them to meet without anyone not already somewhat privy to the supernatural overhearing them, and to satisfy the shop owner's curiosity. Though the man had been warned by several of his Personae, including Cybele, that at the slightest sign of manipulation his life was forfeit. While he wouldn't stand by and let innocents be harmed, his Personae were very protective of him and most disliked the idea of putting him in danger.

Their little group included him, Ichigo and his friends who'd been there in Soul Society, as well as Tatsuki Arisawa, and their friends Mizuiro and Keigo. Were also present Urahara himself, Yoruichi, and the other employees of the Urahara Shoten.

Ichigo was the first to explain things, mostly because his story directly involved the events that had almost cost his friends their lives, and also because it allowed them to get a basic understanding of the different supernatural factions.

As he had expected, the reactions to his story were varied, with Tatsuki being rather composed all along, only gasping or reacting when Ichigo detailed a particularly brutal event, such as when Aizen had nearly cut him in two, or when he had literally _died_, a hole blown in his chest, only to self-resurrect later. Mizuiro was also grave, showing a form of calm composure during most of the story, though for someone as observant as Minato there were signs that showed just how shaken some parts had left him. The one to make the biggest fuss though was Keigo, hardly a surprise from what little he knew of the boy, who tended to act over the top quite often, and even retelling Ichigo's adventures wasn't enough to make the boy pipe down.

"…And in the end, Zangetsu said that instead of losing my powers I should just take it easy for a few months, the time for my Inner World to stabilize again."

There was a moment of silence before Tatsuki sighed wearily, looking more than a bit shaken.

"Holy fuck…So you're a God now?"

The orange-haired teen scratched the back of his head, looking a bit uncomfortable at the wording of his friend's question. Given his surprisingly humble nature, it was hardly a surprise he'd react that way. Given the recent conflicts it was likely he was comparing himself to Aizen's strength and finding himself wanting, without realizing that he had reached the man's level of overwhelming power in less than a year. Of course, he didn't have the same skills in sword fighting, in martial arts or even when it came to using his power, but what did he expect? He'd been a Shinigami for less than a year, most of the time training on the clock to unlock a skill critical to his survival without instruction on anything else. The sheer fact he'd managed to reach a level of power that many would call God-like in so little time was already mind-boggling, but if he applied the same kind of growth to other areas?

He would become _terrifying_.

Though he guessed he couldn't point fingers, given that he'd raised from simple human to Messiah and sealer of a Primordial Entity in a single year himself. Though most of his powers had come from his bonds with other people, so he was uncomfortable considering the powers he'd used his own.

"Eeeehh?! Ichigo, you're a God?!" squealed Keigo, the boy suddenly looking quite afraid of his schoolmate.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" groaned Ichigo, before snapping at the mumbling brown-haired boy, "I'm not a God, okay? I've just got a lot of power, I'm not going to go around asking people to pray to me or some shit of that caliber! It's not like I even asked to be so powerful, but there was nobody else who could stop Aizen!"

"And we're grateful to you for it, Kurosaki-san," smiled Urahara, before glancing towards Minato, "Though I do believe we have another hero to thank for saving your friends' lives before Aizen could get to them."

It was slightly eerie how everyone turned to look at him with near perfect synchronicity, especially since he, unlike Ichigo, couldn't simply get away with explaining his powers as Shinigami or Hollow-related. He had a feeling that he was in for a very long conversation, with a lot of proofs to give.

He sighed. This was going to take a while.

"Perhaps an explanation of how your powers work would be a nice start, Arisato-san?" offered Urahara, giving him a grin.

The man's curiosity was clearly getting the better of him, though given the fact that he was something of a mad scientist, he guessed he could understand wanting to know more about a power that appeared different from anything he knew.

"Persona. That is the name of my power."

"You mean like the masks Jung talked about? The mask everyone presents to fit in society?"

He quirked an eyebrow at Ichigo. Indeed, he was surprised that someone among their number knew about the origin of the name of his powers. After all, reading advanced Psychology texts wasn't something that most teens did, even people as academically driven as the orange-haired Shinigami.

"Masks? What are you talking about?" asked a confused Keigo.

"There is a concept of psychology that says that people have different "masks" that they change to better fit in society. For example, one man can show the mask of a caring father to his family, and at the same time wear the mask of severe manager to his colleagues at work," explained Ichigo, and Minato nodded along. While it wasn't quite exact, nor did it accurately explain the whole Persona concept, it did serve as a simple explanation.

"Indeed."

"Oookkkaayyyyy..." drawled Tatsuki, though it was clear she didn't understand the point of the subject in their conversation, "But what does it have to do with you?"

He sighed. He was never good at explaining things, even with his social skills earned from a year of interacting with people of various kinds, most very different from each other. Chihiro, the shy treasurer, was nothing like Tanaka, the businessman, or like Mutatsu, the perpetually drunk monk he'd met at Club Escapade.

"The people you saw, they are me and I am them. Their power is mine and my power is theirs."

While it was clear that he was only confusing most of those present, it was clearly not the case for Urahara, the man having grinned and gotten a glint in his eye that Minato wasn't sure he liked, especially given the man's history as a mad scientist.

"So what you are saying, Arisato-san, is that your power allows you to manifest these masks you were talking about?" asked the former Captain, looking quite interested.

"Yes. However, I am an exception. I knew other people who could use Personas, but they could only use one each."

"Holy crap! There are others like you out there?!" screeched Keigo, the boy looking positively terrified.

He shook his head. As far as he knew he was the only Persona user of this world, otherwise it was highly likely that Soul Society would have noticed if there were other people able to summon aspects of their psyche.

"No, I am alone. There is nobody that I know in this world able to replicate what I do."

He felt his heart clench at the thought. Even now, months after being stranded in this new world, free of the Great Seal, it hurt to know he'd never see anyone in SEES again. More than friends, SEES had become the family he'd never had, each member becoming someone irreplaceable to him during the span of the year he'd spent in the dorm. He'd loved them like he had never loved anyone else before, which was why he'd barely hesitated to sacrifice himself for them. If his life was enough to save them and everyone they loved, he'd happily lay down and offer his life again.

His rather glum thoughts were broken by the snapping of a fan, Urahara surveying him with calculating eyes. He could already tell that he'd come to the right conclusion, the man, for all his careless behavior, was a genius unparalleled, and he'd given him more than enough clues to guide him to the logical conclusion.

"Fascinating…So you come from another dimension?" asked the blonde, making the others present stare at them in shock, before slowly turning their heads towards him, asking for confirmation.

He nodded slowly, curious about their reactions.

"…Eh? EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"

Keigo was, again, predictable, freaking out in a spectacular fashion. Though he was the only one to do so. While the other people present clearly had trouble believing him, Tatsuki staring at him incredulously, most of the others seemed rather accepting of the idea.

"…You're a dimensional traveler?" eventually asked the martial artist.

He nodded, and was surprised to see her give a decisive nod back.

"I am surprised. You are taking this rather well."

"Are you kidding me? I just discovered my childhood friend became a Shinigami, that the afterlife is real, and pretty much everything every major religion was about. In the middle of that, a dimensional traveler isn't that big of a shock."

"I'll have to agree with Tatsuki on this one," nodded Ichigo, "with all the crazy going on these last months, it's not out there that you wouldn't be from this dimension."

He shrugged. True, with everything going on recently, there was a point where the suspicious part of the mind just shut down and accepted what was told at face value, given that the brain grew numb after several world-shattering revelations. Discovering what happened after death was pretty much guaranteed to numb the people enough that the idea of someone from another dimension wasn't that unrealistic.

"Fascinating, truly fascinating," grinned Urahara, giggling perversely behind his fan, making Minato stare at him warily. The last thing he wanted was to finish as an experiment on a mad scientist's table.

Fortunately, Yoruichi seemed to realize he was uncomfortable and whacked the man behind his head, cutting his giggles short, to Minato's relief.

"Can you tell us about your world, Arisato-san?" eagerly asked Inoue, her face one of child-like wonder.

"There isn't much to tell. Most of the history seems to be the same, however I am not aware of the existence of Shinigami in my world, though the supernatural wasn't absent from it either."

"Really? What did you have if you didn't have Shinigami?" asked Tatsuki, the teenage martial artist leaning forwards in curiosity, "Yôkai? ESP?"

He shook his head. Given the nature of Shadows and Nyx, those would have been welcome alternatives.

"No. We had the Dark Hour and Shadows."

"Dark Hour? What an ominous name," grinned Urahara, the man writing in a notebook he had produced out of nowhere, "Could you explain what the Dark Hour is?"

He sighed. He was in for a looooong explanation.

"Before explaining what the Dark Hour was, first you need to know about some history…"

**-Break-**

"…And when I woke up, I was in this world. I have no idea how I arrived here, or how I ceased being the Great Seal, but I believe that it was Elizabeth's doing that sent me here."

He sighed in relief. Spending several hours explaining the whole history behind the Dark Hour, Shadows, Nyx, and Personas to his audience had taken a toll out of him, as it had forced him to relive the events of his story. While there had been plenty of joyous moments, there also had been plenty of bad ones, like Mitsuru's father's death, Shinjiro's death, and even his own sacrifice.

"You…"

He looked up to see that his audience had finally recovered from the shock of the ending of his story, not that he could blame them. Keigo was giving him a look of awe, while most of the other teens present were now gazing at him with newfound respect, even Ichigo, who had taken a role quite similar to his own when he'd agreed to fight a war he should have had no part in.

"Arisaaatoooooo-saaaaaaaannnnnnnn!" sobbed Inoue, the busty girl wrapping him a hug so tight he was certain he had felt some of his ribs crack, "So courageous!"

"Indeed, Arisato-san," nodded Urahara, the man giving him a look of acknowledgement quite unlike his usual cheery mask, "It was quite the tale. To think that you'd sacrifice your own life, knowing that you would never know the peace of the afterlife…quite the selfless and courageous action indeed."

He nodded, knowing that the shopkeeper understood just how much of a sacrifice he had made. While Ichigo likely had a very good idea himself, none of the others could truly comprehend what such a sacrifice implied, simply because they already had trouble realizing what Ichigo had to go through. While he certainly didn't belittle the sacrifices made by Inoue, Yasutora, or Ishida, the fact was that they had never had the full responsibility of such a large number of lives in their hands. The orange-haired Shinigami though, had found himself charged with defending the whole of the known world nearly by himself, and that was bound to make him mature much quicker than a teen his age should have.

"I did what any decent person would have done," he eventually added, "Choosing to sacrifice myself was obvious: one life for an entire world's worth of lives was not a choice anyone decent should spend any time thinking about."

"You say that, Minato-bo," smirked Yoruichi, the mocha-skinned woman leaning on the wall, "But few people would make that kind of decision so easily. At least that proves you aren't a threat to Soul Society, though. Hard to think that someone with your background would start any kind of conflict if you could do otherwise."

"Sometimes conflict is unavoidable," remarked Minato, frowning, remembering Strega, "But fighting should be the last option, not the first."

The former Captain of the Second Squad gave a short bark of humorless laughter, shaking her head.

"Go tell that to those moronic nobles, they think that everything can be solved with military power. Though, now that the heavy stuff is out, I have a question: did you heal that Arrancar because she had a nice body? Are you expecting some kind of _payment_ for your help?" she smirked.

He inwardly sighed. Knowing the woman, even somewhat peripherally, was enough to know that she was teasing him, and expected him to blush and stammer. Still, he wasn't a blushing virgin, and his…adventures with several young women, _and_ Kukaku, had left him with a much higher tolerance for teasing than, say, Ichigo, who went red the moment someone implied anything related to sexual activities.

Still, he was feeling a bit mischievous at the moment, so he gave Yoruichi a confident smile.

"Well, she _was_ beautiful…And she did look _very_ alluring in her clothes…I do wonder if Arrancar women are like Shinigami women, though. I may need another example to compare…Would you be interested, Yoruichi-san?"

The reactions to his teasing were almost as expected, with Inoue and Ichigo blushing beet red, Yasutora and Ishida pinking slightly but not showing much more reaction, Tatsuki stared at him like he was insane, Keigo was staring at him in awe, and Mizuiro was giving him a subtle thumb up. Urahara was grinning, and Yoruichi herself seemed at a sudden loss of words, though she recovered fast, her usual confident smirk back in place only a few seconds later.

"Oh, I like you," she grinned, "Kukaku had a lot of good things to say about your skill in the bedroom, I might just have to try you myself. What say you?"

By then the group of teenagers were staring at him in awe, blushing madly, especially those who knew what Kukaku was like. The woman was certainly beautiful, and the idea of her having sex with their upperclassman certainly had them realize just how much more mature he was than them, who, for most, were still horribly uncomfortable with the idea of sex.

The fact that the blue-haired teen simply shrugged, as if he was simply agreeing about something like the weather instead of whether or not he was going to have sex with one of the most beautiful women those present knew, made it clear that their upperclassman was a _lot_ more comfortable around the subject that any of them were. Granted, they were two years younger than him.

Still, his actions had made Yoruichi laugh heartily as she sashayed up to him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Oh, I _like_ you. I can already tell that having you around is going to be a lot of fun. Who knows, maybe he could teach you a thing or two about pleasing a woman, Ichigo? I'm sure you'll have a lot of women after you now that you're the hero of the war, and maybe even a few classmates?"

He sighed as Ichigo devolved into a blushing, stuttering mess, while Inoue turned an interesting shade of crimson. Though he hadn't expected Arisawa to pink and glance at the teen either.

**-Break-**

As strange as it was, life quickly went back to what it had been previously, with school and classes taking precedence over supernatural matters. Though Ichigo had used the fact that Karakura now had a "proper" Shinigami assigned to it to relax a bit and enjoy his school life instead of rushing off to fight Hollows. Last he had heard his underclassman's grades had shot up now that he didn't have to worry about saving the world, and his friends had formed a tightly knit group around him, a group he could share his adventures with, which Minato felt was a good thing.

Ichigo had experienced far too much for it to be healthy to bottle it up. And while he knew his father would be there to support him, he wasn't sure that Kurosaki Isshin was someone very useful when it came to helping people cope with traumatizing experiences. And given Urahara's "hands off" approach of things, he didn't think the man was very suited for the task either. Yoruichi was a distinct possibility, but so far he had only seen her flirtatious side, so he was unsure of how good an idea it would be to ask the woman to counsel the teen.

Ironically, given his own involvement in the whole supernatural debacle, he was accepted as a member of the group, although he rarely interacted with them. Though he did offer some advice every now and then, since after he explained his past, the group had come to respect him greatly, which made him somewhat uncomfortable. He had made sure to stress that he did not have all the answers, but that he was perfectly willing to give advice if he felt it could help, and that had been it.

His position as unofficial counselor had been quite quickly put to the test when he noticed that Inoue kept blushing and staring at Ichigo, while the Shinigami hybrid didn't seem to notice. Usually he wouldn't have involved himself in someone else's romantic life, but after a few weeks of watching the byplay of the pair, it had become clear that the young woman was too shy to act on her feelings, while the orange-headed teen was as thick as a brick when it came to noticing other's interest.

Therefore, he'd taken Ichigo aside and had had a lengthy conversation with him, making sure to explain the obvious feelings of the healer for him, and to shoot down any arguments that the blushing hybrid came up with as to justify their relationship not being a good idea. It had amused him to realize that his underclassman was more afraid of getting involved romantically than he was to fight people to the death, and he'd made sure to talk him into at least trying a date with Inoue.

"Ichigo, there doesn't _have_ to be something between you," he had explained, "But it would be a shame to not see if there is not the potential for _something_ between you. If things do not work out, they do not work out, but if they do, I believe you'll be very happy to have taken the chance."

He hadn't pried into what kind of date Ichigo had planned, nor into how things had gone, but given the uproar he heard the day after the date, along with the tearful thanks from Inoue he'd received later (after politely refusing her offer to cook his meals as thanks, Messiah or not he had no wish to try her food, even his Personae were wary of the girl's odd concoctions), he was quite certain that the pair were now an item.

Though it would be up to them to make their relationship work. Love wasn't everything in a couple. But with what he knew of the two, he could tell that there was the potential for a very long, and very happy, relationship.

**-Break-**

Then, a couple of months after the end of the War, his rather peaceful life was once more turned upside down when the door of his classroom was violently pushed open, and a familiar face stomped up to his desk.

Apacci, for it was the tomboyish Arrancar he could now see in front of him, was, surprisingly, dressed as a human, her Arrancar clothes replaced with jeans and a tank top, both showing off her curves quite well, and attracting their fair share of attention from his classmates, who seemed able to see the young woman if their stares were any indication.

"Oi, Arisato, Hallibel-sama wants to see you," grunted Apacci, looking quite uncomfortable.

He could guess why. Given her personality he doubted that she handled attention well, and given that she was obviously not of Asian descent, not to mention that even if she tried to fit in (which she clearly didn't), her brusque attitude made her stand out like a sore thumb. That, and, well, she was an attractive young woman, in the middle of a high school full of teenagers whose hormones had them drooling over pretty much any attractive woman they saw.

"Is it urgent, Apacci-san?" he politely asked, "I still have my afternoon classes."

Supernatural or not, he would not skip school if he could help it, top student or not, and if the matter wasn't urgent (which, while unlikely, was possible), he'd rather meet the former Tres Espada _after_ finishing his classes, which, now that his classmates had seen Apacci, were almost guaranteed to see him interrogated by curious teenagers.

"Fuck your classes!" snapped the Arrancar, slapping her hand on his desk, a loud cracking noise indicating that it hadn't resisted her superior strength very well, "If Hallibel-sama says she wants to see you, it means right the fuck now, school or not! Besides, what the fuck do you need school for anyway?"

"To obtain a diploma and hopefully find a job later," was his polite reply, ignoring the more aggressive of his Personae who were clamoring for him to put the _annoying little bug in her place_. The never quite liked it when he was ordered around, especially when it was by someone that should for all intents and purposes, be grateful to him. As these Personae saw things, Apacci was indebted to him, and was proving herself a very poor hand at repaying said debt. It was fortunate for her that he was a naturally patient person, though he did have his limits, but she still had a way to go before he was fed up with her actions. Especially since her brusque attitude was likely a combination of her own rough personality and sheer discomfort for being the center of attention of people she couldn't simply beat into the ground.

"A…job?"

The way Apacci was looking at him suggested she believed he had said something _incredibly_ stupid, and that she was in no way expecting this kind of answer. Though she seemed to recover, her face set in a mask of complete puzzlement, opening and closing her mouth several times without making a sound, before she eventually took a deep breath, and gave him a deadpanned stare.

"You…You know what? Fuck that. Can you just get your ass moving? Hallibel-sama wants to see you, and it's serious."

A bit more worried than before, he nodded, closing his bag and standing to follow the Arrancar who was muttering to herself.

**-Break-**

It took a little while for the pair to make it to the Urahara Shoten, mainly because before even leaving the school grounds they'd been met with Ichigo's group of friends, who had felt the Arrancar's spiritual energy and had thus been worried that a rogue Arrancar had infiltrated their school, and had had to explain that Apacci was not present for any kind of nefarious purpose.

Minato had unfortunately had to calm things down, as while Ichigo was willing to give the young-looking woman the benefit of the doubt, Ishida, being extremely anti-Hollow, had been very suspicious and had made a few comments that had his companion rear up for a fight, which was the reason she was now walking sullenly next to him, a scowl on her face.

""Hollow", I'll give you Hollow you nerdy specs!" she growled under her breath, "I'm an Arrancar, not some kind of savage beast!"

"I am sure that Ishida-san was not purposefully trying to antagonize you, Emilou-san," he offered, only for Apacci to snort.

"Right. I can't stand stuck-up pricks like that moron, 'makes me want to punch them in the face, see how they like it," she growled, before adding, "And it's Apacci, not Emilou. After saving our asses, I think I can let you use my first name."

"Apologies, then, Apacci-san. Though now that we are not under the scrutiny of my classmates, may I ask what Hallibel-san wished to talk about?"

"I'm not too sure," admitted the Arrancar, looking a bit frustrated, "But after the war, Hallibel-sama became the de-facto leader of Hueco Mundo, our Queen, and she's been doing her best to get some order back now that Aizen and most of the Espada have died. Thing is, she's been getting some strange news lately, about things like groups of Hollows disappearing, just like that, sightings of people who aren't Hollows or Shinigami, though those are very rare."

"She thinks something is up, then?" he asked, frowning.

Admittedly, his knowledge of the Spiritual World was incomplete, as Urahara had only given him a basic rundown, explaining the system of Shinigami and Hollows, before briefly expanding on the Quincies. Though he hardly believed the man had covered anything, after all in all the time the system had existed, it was unlikely that hybrids like the Vizards or the Arrancar had been the only offshoots of those species. Perhaps a new one was emerging? Or perhaps the happenings were linked to something Aizen had done before his demise? The man _had_ been a genius, who was to say he hadn't anticipated his defeat and prepared a backup plan?

"Yeah, well she's not sure yet, but so far everything we've tried to check on what's happening failed, so she told me to get you, since you've got a lot of those summon thingies-"

"Persona."

"-of those _Persona_. She probably figured one of them might have something that could help us. And don't worry about us repaying the favor, Hallibel-sama's not the kind of person to forget a debt."

He frowned. He didn't like the idea of someone feeling like they were indebted to him, when he had only wanted to help them, and done what any decent person _should_ have done.

"And don't bother telling us you don't want us to feel indebted to you," added Apacci, as if reading his thoughts, "We're Arrancars. That means that at one point we were Hollows, and it's ingrained in our instincts that help doesn't come free, so when someone does help us, we hardly feel like forgetting it. And something like saving Hallibel-sama's life, as well as ours, is something that's not going to be easy to repay. 'Course there'd be the easy solution, jumping in bed with you, but from what Urahara told us, you're not the kind of guy that has one-night stands like that."

No, no he was certainly not. While he certainly could appreciate the beauty of a woman, he preferred meaningful relationships over those borne of simple lust. Every single one of the girls he had gotten close to in his old world had been very close to his heart, and he had done everything in his power to reciprocate their feelings when it was possible, so long as it didn't mean stringing them along. It was why even after it came out that he'd been seeing someone, most of the girls didn't mind, since he had always tried to be a gentleman with them, and they, in turn, had done their best to be understanding of him.

"You know, I kinda have trouble with you…" sighed the Arrancar, "I mean, you've gotten Hallibel-sama's interest, and for that alone I should kick your ass, but you're just too damn nice…And you could probably kick _my_ ass if you managed to fight Aizen."

"You care for her very much."

It wasn't a question, but an observation. It was clear as day that as rude and rough as Apacci was, that she respected her leader immensely, and would do anything, _anything_ for her. Then again, from what he had seen of the former Tercera, she was very similar to Mitsuru, someone who, while presenting a cold and aloof exterior, cared a great deal about those close to them. That she'd been willing to threaten him if it was what it took for him to heal them, when she could just as well have abandoned them to their fate and run for her life, was telling.

"I do," fervently nodded Apacci, "She's done so much for us, for Sung-sun, Mila-Rose and I, serving her is the least we can do. If it wasn't for her, we'd be long dead. Hueco Mundo's not for pussies, and most Hollows think that females are weaker and thus easier targets. That's why most Hollows and Arrancars are male, because most females don't live long enough to become strong enough to survive on their own."

"You are being very forthcoming."

"Yeah, usually I wouldn't say shit about our relationship with Hallibel-sama, 'cause most people don't understand why we're so loyal to her, even if we explained. But I figured that if someone could understand, it'd be you. And also because we owe you big time. If it wasn't for you, we'd probably have been killed by those damn Shinigami."

"Urahara is a Shinigami, and yet you seem to cooperate with him," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but the guy gives me the creeps. But he's the only option we got if we want to visit the World of the Living without Soul Society coming after our asses, and he's been exiled too. At least he's somewhat reliable, even though he seems as bad as that bastard Aizen when it comes to giving straight answers."

He nodded. Urahara very rarely seemed to give straight, concrete answers, always putting up the façade of a grinning, slightly idiotic shopkeeper. It was somewhat off-putting for him, who remembered Ikutsuki's trickery very well, to trust someone whose true personality seemed to contrast so heavily with the façade he presented to the world. While so far the man had proved to be reliable, it still felt uncomfortable for Minato to trust him, when he knew so little of his history or his motivations.

"We're here. Piece of advice, if we meet other Arrancar, let me do the talking. You're strong, but I'd rather we get to Hallibel-sama without you having to kill some of the dumbasses lurking in Las Noches."

**-Break-**

The trip to Las Noches was rather quick and surprisingly disappointing, as all they had done had been to walk through an artificial Garganta, the method of travelling Hollows used, though only once Apacci had discarded her fake body. It had been extremely strange to watch the Arrancar slump to the ground, while a perfect copy, albeit with her Arrancar characteristics on full display, now stood in front of him.

Still, he had to admit that Las Noches, the palace Aizen had used during his stay in Hueco Mundo, was impressive. While not possessing the eerie atmosphere of Tartarus, it was extremely imposing, most rooms having a ceiling so high it was impossible to see it. Everything about the palace seemed to have been designed for giants, and he took it as an expression of the traitor Shinigami's ego.

Just as they rounded a corner, however, the whole structure shook, sending him to his knees, as Apacci only barely kept standing herself, neither of them having expected the explosion, so quiet had been the atmosphere of the palace.

"What the fuck?!" snarled Apacci, "That wasn't a Hollow or an Arrancar!"

"Enemies?" he asked, already readying himself for a fight.

"Yeah…This isn't one of the fights that moron Grimmjow sometimes gets in-"

Once more the entire structure shook, and Minato could see Apacci suddenly paling.

"Hallibel-sama!"

With a sudden buzzing sound, she disappeared, leaving him alone in the corridor.

**-Break-**

The attack had been sudden, unpredictable. One moment she had been talking with Mila Rose and Sung-sun, trying to come up with a way to investigate the increasing number of disappearing Hollows and Arrancars, the next she'd been fighting for her life against a group of men clad from head to toe in white. And, most shockingly, were apparently Quincy.

Hallibel, being the former third highest-ranked Arrancar in Aizen's army, had been privy to a great many things about the history of Soul Society, and thus was aware of the existence of the brand of spiritually aware Humans that had been the Quincy, as well as their genocide at the hands of the Soul Society. It was actually one of the few things Hollow appreciated Shinigami for, as while they hated the Thirteen Squads, at least their souls, once purified, returned to the cycle of reincarnation. With Quincies, it was destroyed altogether, a terrifying prospect.

"Tier Hallibel, fear not, for we shall permit your subordinates to live as a gesture of goodwill," remarked the man leading the attack, standing in front of her defeated body.

He had, as much as she hated to admit it, _singlehandedly_ defeated her, his power easily dwarfing her own, and, as much as she loathed the prospect, was perhaps even stronger than even Aizen's had been. She'd known the moment they had crossed blades that she could not win, however, she was not about to flee like a coward when she was now the Queen of Hueco Mundo, and that her subordinates were in danger of being killed by Yhwach's troops.

The King of the Quincies was not someone she could understand, as he claimed to love peace, yet had waged war on Hueco Mundo, though at least he'd gone directly for her, correctly assuming that if she was defeated, the other Hollows would submit to his might. Given their nature as creatures who valued only power, his reasoning was not wrong.

She coughed. For all of her power, Yhwach's hits had done some rather nasty damage to her body, and for some reason her regeneration was having trouble healing it.

"Take her to Silbern," ordered Yhwach, and two Quincies appeared next to her, moving to drag her away, only for them to suddenly still as an enraged Apacci swung her blades towards them.

"Get away from Hallibel-sama you bastards!"

"A-Apacci," she coughed, blearily looking up at her Fraccion, "R-run!"

"Not without you, Hallib-" started the Arrancar, only to scream as she was sent flying by Yhwach's strike, the King of Quincies looking disinterestedly at the fallen young woman.

"It appears that we shall be meeting Minato Arisato earlier than expected," remarked the man, stroking his beard pensively, before gesturing to his subordinates, who had appeared in front of him, the Quincies slinking back into the background obediently.

Hallibel was left to crawl as best as she could towards the fallen Apacci, worry gripping her heart. While she was not arrogant, she knew her power was much higher than her subordinates', and thus she was worried of what a single hit from someone as powerful as Yhwach, would do to her. Her own regeneration was still working at a snail's pace, so she did not want to imagine what would happen should Apacci be critically injured.

Fortunately, while her Fraccion was clearly unconscious, and bleeding heavily, she could tell nearly immediately that the wound wasn't critical, made more to take the Arrancar out of the fight rather than to seriously incapacitate her. Either Yhwach had been careless, or, more likely, he did not consider Apacci worth killing, and was content simply making sure she wouldn't bother him. It was much like someone would deal with an annoying fly, swatting it off and stopping caring so long as it did not come back to annoy you.

Now that she knew her subordinate wasn't in immediate danger however, Yhwach's words finally made their way to her brain and she turned to look at the King of Quincies sharply.

"What…"she coughed, some blood escaping her lips and forming a bloody trail down her chin, "What do you want with Arisato-san?"

"You dare to demand information from His Majetsy, wench?!" snarled one of the Quincies, stepping forwards, "Know your place!"

Yet the enraged soldier immediately dropped to a knee in front of his King, who had glanced his way with what appeared to be some irritation, minor as it was. She doubted any of the others present had spotted it, but after spending so much time around people wearing masks she'd learnt to interpret the body language of other people. And Yhwach, while confident, seemed to be rather annoyed at the interruption, though his authority was such that a look was all that was required to have the Quincy who'd stepped out of line prostrate himself and apologize profusely.

"My designs for Minato Arisato are my own, Espada," commented the Quincy King, and she found herself screaming in absolute _agony_, his blade impaled in her stomach, and his spiritual energy infecting hers.

Despite her wounds, she found herself thrashing blindly, feeling herself violated down to her _soul_ by Yhwach's spiritual energy.

She didn't know how long the torture lasted, before she was left panting, curled into a ball and with tears of pain escaping her eyes. She was centuries old, had suffered multiple wounds during her time as a Hollow and Arrancar, but nothing, absolutely _nothing_, could compare with the pain she had just felt. There was no word to describe how deep, how intense the pain had been. Her entire _soul_ had felt as if it was on the verge of shattering, and she knew she was only alive and sane because Yhwach had wanted it so. It had been as much a chastisement as it had been a show of force, a proof that no matter how proud she was, no matter how strong her will was, that he could easily break her.

And as much as it terrified her to admit it, it had worked. The simple _idea_ of having to suffer like that again filled her with a terror she had never felt, even when serving Aizen, who had been very willing to threaten if he felt it would get him what he wanted.

She could only hope that Minato would manage a miracle, once more.

**-Break-**

The scene that greeted Minato upon his arrival was one that had his blood boil. He, of course, had not known Hallibel, or her Fraccion, for very long, having spent perhaps all of twenty minutes, perhaps thirty if he was feeling generous, in their presence, including the time he'd spent with Apacci on their way to Las Noches. However, that had been more than enough for him to get a decent grasp of their personalities, to paint a rough picture of what kind of people they were. While the Fraccion could be foul-mouthed, violent, abrasive and needlessly antagonistic, it did not change the fact that at the core, they weren't bad people, just people trying to do their best with the life they had been dealt. And Hallibel herself was certainly a better person than even most humans he had known.

It was why, when he came upon the sight of Apacci breathing weakly, her body laying in a pool of her own blood, a large cut bisecting her abdomen, and saw that Hallibel was curled into fetal position, shivering violently, he immediately summoned Titania, sending the Persona to heal the two Arrancars, while also bringing forth Thanatos to the forefront of his mind, albeit without summoning the Death Persona.

The reason was simple: outside of the two female Arrancar, the room was packed with people, all of them wearing what appeared to be some kind of military uniform, though not one he was familiar with. And while none of them had moved, he did not want to take the risk of being caught unaware, especially as several of his Personae warned him that a dozen or so of the people in the room were at the very least as powerful as Shinigami Captains, never mind the man peering down at him from atop the throne at the back of the room.

_That_ man's presence dwarfed even what he had felt of the Captain Commander, not to mention Aizen himself.

From what he could see, the man was Caucasian, with wild black hair and a connected mustache, though he otherwise appeared very clean-shaved. His attire was quite similar to those of the other people present, albeit covered by a tattered, dark-colored cloaked, and completed with trench boots. Though perhaps the most distinctive feature of this man was his stare, utterly analytical and devoid of anything but raw curiosity and inquisitiveness.

"Minato Arisato," boomed the man, "I am Yhwach, King of the Quincies. I have been most curious about you."

"Why did you harm my friends?" he demanded, glaring at Yhwach. From what he could tell, there was some residue of spiritual energy mixed into Apacci and Hallibel's wounds, making the healing process much slower than normal.

"Why care about the fate of mere beasts? Evolved or not, Hollows are still Hollows. Would you care as much as you do if you knew how many innocent souls they devoured? How many families were torn apart because these abominations ate the soul of a mother? A father? Of _children_?

In the end, the Hollows of Hueco Mundo should be honored to be of use in your glorious crusade, but mere beasts do not listen to reason, hence the need to prove our domination. Once the so-called "Queen" of Hueco Mundo is brought to heel, my sons and daughters will train them into an efficient attack force to whittle down Soul Society's defenses."

"You intend to take revenge for the genocide of your people?" inquired Minato. If so, Yhwach's actions were somewhat understandable, albeit wholly unwelcome in such a period of peace. Now that Aizen was gone and that Hallibel governed Hueco Mundo, there was an opportunity to barter peace between Hollows and Shinigami, provided that the latter managed to look further than their old laws and took a leap of faith.

Instead of answering his question, the Quincy King merely chuckled, observing, amused, as Titania finally stepped away from the two Arrancar, dissolving into particles of blue light.

"Your ability to call these Persona is most interesting, very similar to a Shinigami summoning the spirit of their Zanpakuto, yet at the same time vastly different," remarked Yhwach, a finger tracing his mustache.

"I do not intend to wage war for mere revenge. I aim for much more. I intend to replace the Soul King as the lynchpin of the universe. While the current King has let the world deteriorate to such a point, I intend to change it, and make it into a place where people can live without fear of death or suffering.

Your powers are impressive, and would be a welcome addition to our ranks. What do you think about joining us?" asked the Quincy King, looking curious.

"I refuse," was Minato's immediate answer, prompting outraged cries from the other Quincies present.

The world Yhwach described certainly _sounded_ nice, however the blue-haired teen knew that to achieve it, the Quincies would have to wage war, and would very likely highly upset the current world balance. While he was no expert on the world's state, Urahara _had_ explained quite a few things to him, such as the fact that the Soul King's power was what kept the four known dimensions (Soul Society, The World of the Living, Hueco Mundo and Hell) separate. If someone was to remove this influence, these dimensions would start collapsing on themselves, with possible result a catastrophic fusion of all four, causing the death of untold numbers of Humans, Shinigami and Hollows alike.

For someone like him, who had saved mankind despite its own desire for destruction, the idea of causing such a catastrophe was unfathomable, far too costly to be worth the benefits Yhwach hoped to reap. A world without the fear of death was not one worth living for, as it took away the very essence of living, took away the reason for human improvement. Humans were only driven to excel because their time on Earth was limited, and it was up to them to make the most of their limited lives. A world where Death did not exist took away everything that made humanity what it was.

Of course, he'd also known that refusing Yhwach was the same as declaring himself the enemies of the Quincies, as he had clearly identified the mentality the self-proclaimed "King" as one where you were either with him, or you were against him. It was why he was entirely prepared to block the arrow that had been aimed at his back, and why he felt no qualms retaliating without holding back.

While he didn't like killing, this was now a war, and wars were not won by holding back.

**-Break-**

Yhwach observed the fight between his troops and Minato with a keen eye. One of the reasons he held so much interest for the boy was one he had not confided in anyone, and one that had him slightly worried, as even the Almighty couldn't see his future, his very presence disturbing what had until then been visions as clear as day. While, after observing the boy in Soul Society during both the rescue of Rukia Kuchiki and his fight against Aizen, he'd gotten little reason to worry, as he knew his Schutzstaffel would, if necessary, be able to deal with him by themselves, he couldn't help but dislike the fact that he'd introduced an unknown factor. Until then, the Almighty had allowed him to see every possible future available and prepare for every situation, even if he knew that many of his children would die, no matter what future waited for them.

Now, there was the possibility that his plans could be disrupted, and that would not be tolerated. He didn't like killing people he respected, and he certainly respected the boy for his willingness to fight without mercy if the need arose, but sometimes the Greater Good required sacrifices.

He was ready to sacrifice his own blood descendants to achieve his goals, he certainly would have no problem ending an almost entirely unknown boy if that was what was required to make his ideal world a reality.

Still, he had to admit, the boy was certainly holding his own against his troops.

**-Break-**

Dealing with the Quincies was proving to be relatively easy, at least considering that for the moment he was only fighting against the foot troops, which did not require him to bring out his strongest Personae yet. From what he could see, the average Quincy was at the level of a seated Shinigami officer, though he knew that their elite forces were much stronger from the feeling of their spiritual energy.

He knew from the start that he had no hope of winning if he did not go all out, however given what it implied, he was rather reluctant to do so, and had opted to buy time instead, using the chaos created by his area of effect spells to cover the fact that he'd had several of his Personae pick up Hallibel and Apacci to get them out of the Quincies' clutches. The two Arrancars were among the few who could unify Hueco Mundo against their invaders, and who could convince Soul Society to send help, that is if racism didn't come into play. There was only hope that the fact Yhwach intended to wage war on Soul Society would convince them to send troops instead of being idiots and adopting the "let's let our two enemies duke it out and then fight the winner" approach.

"Stop spacing out, moron!" snarled a female voice, and he just had the time to dive on the side to avoid an explosion that seared his back, sending him flying through a wall.

Fortunately, while such an experience was not a common occurrence to him, it unfortunately wasn't something new, as quite a few of the strongest Shadows he'd fought had been powerful enough to send him and the members of SEES flying with their strongest attacks, especially when they managed to hit one of the team's elemental weaknesses. Therefore, he quickly managed to right himself, summoning Metatron to fight whoever it was who had attacked him, and then proceeded to run like Hell.

While he _could_ possibly deal with the Quincies by himself, the result was far from being a certitude, especially given that he had very little information on what their powers were, and if they were as diverse as what he had seen Shinigami do, there was a real possibility of them defeating him. And he wasn't about to risk his life on it, not when the Soul Society was far better equipped to deal with the threat.

Now all that was left was for him to find a way to escape, and he had just the way to do that. Aizen hadn't liked it when it had detonated in front of his face, he doubted the Quincies would like it either.

'_Mind charge.'_

'_**Megidolaon.'**_

**-Break-**

"What is wise to let the boy go, your Majesty?"

Seated in his throne is his personal Quarters in Silbern, Yhwach listened to his second-in-command, Jugram Haschwalth, comment on the events of the day. Truthfully speaking, he was unsure of what it meant that the boy had managed to escape his Sternritter, even managing to kill some of them, vaporizing a large part of Las Noches in the process.

The action had been more than enough to have the King of the Quincies deem Minato Arisato as a "Special War Power" and warn his troops about carelessly fighting him. In fact, the boy had by himself proved a worse threat to his plans for Soul Society than even the current Captain Commander. Genryusai Yamamoto had gotten old, and while a formidable fighter, he was still someone Yhwach could spy on using the Almighty. Now he had a boy, possibly stronger than even the most powerful Shinigami in history, whose actions he couldn't even see using the Almighty, which threw all his carefully laid plans into chaos.

The fact was that he had let Minato go because he was unsure the boy didn't have a trump card up his sleeve, as while powerful in his own right, he simply couldn't win a war against Soul Society by himself. If Minato had managed to kill off more than a few of his weaker Sternritter, they would have been at a significant disadvantage against Soul Society. They would likely have won against the Thirteen Squads, but the Royal Guard would have taken them all out before making sure he was dead for good this time.

"We could not afford any more Sternritter losses, Haschwalth. Letting him go was for the best, as was my decision to accelerate our plans for Soul Society. Let him warn them, so that they may run around, panicking like headless chickens. It shall make our attack all the more efficient. We will strike when they are panicking, and unable to fight back."

"As you say, your Majesty. I have taken the liberty of asking the research team to study Arisato-san's power, to see if there is not a mean to apply the same effect the anti-Bankai medallions to these…Persona."

"Good. It would not do for our glorious crusade to be stopped by some miscreant. Now leave me, Haschwalth, I must reflect on our new course of action."

"By your leave, your Majesty," bowed Yhwach's other half, the man excusing himself.

Once he left, the King of the Quincies let the composed and amiable façade he kept up at all times fade away, a troubled look crossing his face.

While a minor disruption to his plans, Minato Arisato had proven to be a thorn in his side he couldn't allow to continue existing, not if it meant the potential foiling of his plan to usurp the Soul King.

He would have to send someone to deal with him, but who?

**-Break-**

"Is he going to be alright?"

The mood was somber at the Urahara Shoten, with the group of four Arrancars seated in the shop looking as exhausted as they felt. They were under no delusions that they couldn't return to Hueco Mundo at the moment, not when the only thing between them and certain death was the fact that the Quincies apparently didn't deem them important enough to pursue. The fact that Hallibel herself had been defeated soundly by Yhwach showed just how _weak_ they were compared to him and his army.

Hallibel herself was barely functioning, even after Minato had healed her. She was still reeling from the traumatic experience of very nearly having her soul shattered, something that had left the usually composed former Espada badly shaken, and with little wish to cross Yhwach's path again. She had barely left the side of their savior's bed, Minato having lost consciousness soon after blowing up a large part of Las Noches to buy them time to run. She was under no illusion that had he not arrived in time, her fate would have been unpleasant to the extreme.

"He only needs some rest, he exhausted himself when he fought the Quincies' troops and then using that technic of his to buy you some time," remarked an unusually serious Urahara.

The man had immediately contacted Soul Society when they had finished explaining what happened, and the Thirteen Squads were now in a rush, preparing for war. However, the scientist was under no delusion that the odds were stacked heavily against the Shinigami forces. Even with several months to recover from the Winter War, the Thirteen Squads were still patching themselves up, and given how badly the Arrancars had outclassed the average Shinigami, the fact that _they_ had been so thoroughly thrashed did not bode well for their chances.

"DAMN IT!" snarled Apacci, her fist shattering the table they were all sitting at, "I hate feeling so damn _weak_!"

"Yeah, well you aren't the only one!" growled Mila Rose, "But your angst isn't going to help us here! Or what, you think that you can annoy the Quincies to death?!"

"You wanna say that again, _bitch_?!"

"ENOUGH!"

Surprisingly, it wasn't Urahara who had intervened, despite the fact that the two Arrancar were apparently rearing up for a fight that would have destroyed his shop, in fact the one to interrupt the quickly worsening argument was the one you'd least expect to.

Sung-sun glared at her fellow Fraccion, making sure to meet their eyes, before continuing.

"Good. Fighting against each other isn't going to help us. We were lucky that Minato-sama saved Hallibel-sama and you, Appacci, so let us not spit on his goodwill by finishing what those invaders started.

It is obvious that Hallibel-sama was shaken by her experience, and as her Fraccion, it is our duty to make sure that she never has to feel so powerless again. Instead of fighting, we should be training. While we were taken by surprise, I am sure that Urahara-san has several ideas already on how to counter our enemies.

Let us help him and make them _pay_."

The uncharacteristically bloodthirsty smirk that graced the Arrancar's face was mirrored by her peers', before they started discussing with Urahara a way to get their pound of flesh from those who had harmed them, their Queen, and one of the few Humans they respected.

**-Break-**

His return to consciousness was gradual, unlike when he woke up in the morning, where he was immediately awake and on full alert, a remnant of the time he'd spent in SEES, where reactivity was important. No, this time he could feel himself slowly rising from the depths on unconsciousness, allowing him to process several things.

The first was that he was in a bed, therefore likely back in the World of the Living, as he highly doubted the Quincies would have treated him nicely if they'd managed to capture him. The second thing that he noticed were the soft fingers caressing the side of his face, and the gentle, feminine humming coming from somewhere on his side.

Blinking slowly, he let his eyes get used to the lighting, before turning his head towards the source of the humming, to find Hallibel, seated on the bed, watching him.

As a male, he could testify that the Arrancar was a beautiful woman, and while some might have found the skull-like half-mask covering the bottom of her face a stain on her beauty, he had never been the kind to take only physical beauty into account. And Hallibel had much more than mere physical beauty going for her. While he had spent perhaps all of half an hour in her presence, he'd seen enough to get a grasp on her personality, and what he had glimpsed at was certainly attractive in its own right.

"You are awake, Arisato-san?" softly hummed the Arrancar, her turquoise eyes staring down at him with clear relief.

He nodded wordlessly, his own eyes meeting those of the young woman he'd managed to save, before he eventually spoke.

"Are you well, Hallibel-san? You were…highly shaken, despite my best efforts to cure you."

The mocha-skinned woman trembled slightly, before composing herself, but that brief instant of weakness told Minato everything he needed to know.

She was better, but it would take a _long_ time before the memory of whatever had happened would cease to haunt her.

"I…I am well, thank you. And I owe you a debt for saving my life, and my Fraccion, again."

With a grunt, he propped himself on his elbows, staring at Hallibel with slight disapproval.

"As I said before, Hallibel-san, there is no debt owed for doing what is right. You did nothing to deserve what happened to you, and should never have been harmed in the first place."

"I am an Arrancar," pointed out the deceptively young-looking woman in front of him, "Many would argue that my existence alone is a reason to kill me."

"Then they are fools. It matters not _what_ you are, but _who_. You are not a savage beast like some of the other Espada I heard about. Condemning you because of something you have no control over is foolish."

"Few would think that," remarked Hallibel, her voice having gotten noticeably warmer.

Minato highly suspected that someone with a very strong set of morals like her had often considered herself as an abomination due to her nature as a Hollow, and that it was the first time someone had taken the time to actually defend her using thought-out arguments.

He shrugged.

"Few people seem able to think beyond the obvious."

"Perhaps. However, I shall still owe you a debt. I understand that you feel you did nothing worth being thanked for, but I…_We_ want to thank you."

As he opened his mouth to protest, he closed it. He understood her reasoning, even if he did not agree with it. Denying her the possibility of repaying him would hurt her, and given her still relatively fragile state, it would hurt all the more.

"Urahara-san told us about you. About your story," added Hallibel, her eyes sharpening and looking at him like a hawk, "Did you really sacrifice yourself to save your world?"

He nodded. It wasn't as if he tried to hide it, and given what he knew of her personality, he was quite certain that Hallibel, more than most, could understand why he had done so.

"I see."

She didn't say more, but she didn't need to, the way her eyes narrowed told him everything he needed to know. He expected her to ask the questions that troubled her after the upcoming war, however.

"What is going to happen now?" he asked.

While he didn't necessarily like the people in charge of Soul Society, nor did he particularly want to get involved in a war, the fact was that he could not simply sit on the sidelines when reality itself was at stake.

"Soul Society was warned of the threat. It took a while to convince them that we weren't lying, but fortunately Sung-sun and Mila Rose had the idea of dragging one of the Quincies' corpses with them when we left Hueco Mundo.

The Twelfth squad is already at work and examining it, and they have gone on full alert."

Her tone made it clear that she didn't believe that it would suffice to stop the Quincies, and he was inclined to agree, what with the fact that they had obviously been preparing themselves for a long time, while Soul Society was still recovering from a war. The odds were not in their favor, and while Minato knew he could possibly help the war effort, he was still hesitant to do so, for the same reason he hadn't gone full out when in Hueco Mundo. Using _Megidolaon_ had caused massive damage, yes, but he could well have used _Armaggedon_ to decimate the Quincy troops entirely, and possibly kill Yhwach himself.

The reason he hadn't done so was simple: he was still hesitant to kill sentient beings. Killing Shadows in Tartarus was entirely different from killing a person, and while the Quincies were undoubtedly enemies, he didn't know how many of them truly believed in Yhwach's goals and how many followed simply because they either didn't know better or were too afraid to leave the King's service. Not to mention that he had no idea just how powerful the fusion spell was. Tartarus was a closed dimension, and everything in it was much sturdier than what was normal, which meant he might well have levelled Las Noches on his friends' heads had he gone for that.

And he highly doubted that he'd be able to use it this time either, if he went to help the war effort, as the Seireitei was right in the middle of the Soul Society. Using _Armageddon_ there would annihilate not only the Quincies, but also a large part of the Shinigami troops, _and_ far too many innocent souls.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he glanced at Hallibel.

"What are you going to do?"

He knew she itched to get revenge for the way her subordinates and herself had been treated by the Quincies, but after whatever had happened with Yhwach, it was also clear that she was terrified of being in the presence of the Quincy King again.

"I will help," stated the former Espada, her eyes narrowing, "While Yhwach may be out of my reach, his troops are not. And as Hueco Mundo's Queen, I cannot simply allow intruders to disturb the peace of our dimension."

"Perfect, then," chirped Urahara, the sudden intervention breaking the somewhat comfortable atmosphere, "And might I congratulate you on your relationship, I believe it is the first time a Hollow has dated a Human."

"We are not dating," deadpanned the pair, frowning at the grinning shopkeeper.

"Yet," added the man, before continuing, in a more serious tone, "Now, I believe it is time to discuss our options in how to deal with Yhwach…"

**-Break-**

Chaos. There was no other word to describe the scene they arrived at when they stepped out of the special Garganta Urahara had created to send them to Soul Society. People were screaming, there were explosions everywhere, smoke was obscuring the sky, and at least half the buildings surrounding them had been destroyed. It was truly a scene out of a war.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Hallibel, the Arrancar staring at Minato with surprisingly clear worry, her eyes narrowed and her posture constantly shifting.

He was unsure of exactly why she acted as such, although he had a feeling that he knew why, even if for the moment he was happier ignoring the little voice in his head telling him he was perfectly aware of _why_ such a stunning woman was worried for him. Especially since he was about to do something that could have very real consequences for him.

The first time he had suggested doing so, he had had to explain _precisely_ why he had not done so earlier to a group of unhappy Arrancar and a curious shopkeeper, however once he had done so the four women had nearly immediately refused to even consider the notion of him acting on this idea. They had argued that the risks to him were too great, that he had no reason to put himself in danger for people who had never done anything to warrant the possible sacrifice he was going to make.

He had reminded them that he had healed the Arrancar without even knowing them, which had immediately stopped their arguments, even though it was clear that none of the four women were happy about it.

It wasn't like he was planning to die, he had argued, but if the Quincies were not stopped, countless lives would be lost, and the world, the world that he had made new friends in, the world in which he now resided, lived, might be destroyed. Again, it was the same situation than back in Tartarus, on that faithful night.

One life for a world's worth of lives.

Not a hard choice to make.

Taking a deep breath, Minato reached inside himself, opening himself completely to the Sea of Souls, to the vast ocean of beings who resided deep inside his soul. From Angels to Demons, from Faeries to Dragons, from Heroes to Fiends, they all answered as one. The gasps he heard from his companions told him all he needed to know, and he focused on keeping his connection to his Personae open.

Easy when it was one or two, a bit harder when it was over a hundred and seventy, some of which had enough power to reshape landscapes.

**-Break-**

All over Soul Society, victorious Quincies stopped in their tracks when beings that clearly _weren't_ Shinigami or Hollows appeared in front of them. All of them were aware of _who_ was the source of these beings, as they had all been present when His Majesty had been defied by that upstart boy with blue hair, or had heard the reports. As such, it was with great enthusiasm that, once the brief moment of surprise was passed, they rushed at these new enemies, eager to prove themselves to their King by taking down the summons of the one who opposed him.

Quite a few also brought out the modified Bankai-stealing Medallions they had been gifted precisely in the eventuality of such an encounter, gleefully watching as the summons were sucked in by the medallions.

Those who had successfully stolen the summons eagerly summoned their power, then, ready to strike down the Shinigami they had been fighting previously, a dark glee on their faces, knowing they were using the very power of one of their enemies against the very people he was trying to protect…Only to scream as the summons immediately turned on them, burning them, freezing them to death, frying them with lightning, shredding them with ripping winds.

In an instant, over a third of the Sternritter present were killed by the Personae they had foolishly believed they had stolen from Minato Arisato, the summons _obliterating_ the people who sought to take them from their partner, before returning to help the Shinigami in whatever way was more suited to their particular skills.

All over the Seireitei, the Shinigami found themselves suddenly assisted by beings who helped them combat their enemies, healed their wounded, or, in a few cases, _directly resurrected the recently deceased_.

All of a sudden, the momentum of the Quincy invasion was reversed, with the hard-pressed Shinigami suddenly finding themselves able to breathe as the invaders were pushed back, either outright killed or locked in combat with what appeared to be Zanpakuto spirits, or so they felt like, anyway.

**-Break-**

Giselle Gewelle grinned manically at the Shinigami facing her, their zombified comrades rising from the dead behind her, ready to do her bidding. Aaahh…She loved her power. _The Zombie_ made it so _easy_ for her to play with her enemies! All she had to do was drop some of her blood on them, and _voilà_, a fresh zombie for her to use and abuse!

"Now, boys, please die for me!" she grinned, only to blink as she now found herself facing what appeared to be a ten, perhaps eleven-years old blonde girl clad in a dark blue dress.

The girl was frowning unhappily, her eyes fixed on Giselle and completely ignoring the shuffling Zombies approaching her.

**You stole my line.**

Giselle blinked.

"What?"

Certainly not the most eloquent answer, but to be honest she was a bit too surprised to come up with better. Don't get her wrong, she was expecting to be interrupted at one point, and she could easily identify one of those Persona on sight, it was just…What _was_ she supposed to answer? She had expected something more impressive as an enemy than a mere child, and while she could tell that the Persona-girl was powerful, she was a _child_, without a weapon even!

**You stole my line, and Minato-niisan says you're bad, so you're going to play with me, okay?**

"I'm a bit busy to play, and aren't you supposed to try and kill me?"

The blonde girl giggled.

**It's okay, let's play.**

**Please, **_**would you die for me?**_

The last thing Giselle ever saw was a sudden, tidal wave of utter darkness surge from the frail girl and engulfing her, before she disappeared completely, dead without even realizing it.

**-Break-**

Alice frowned, before nodding to herself. Her niisan had said that these people were bad, and that she could play with them to her heart's content, so long as she left the Shinigami alone. She was just a bit disappointed that they didn't put up much of fight…Oh well, there were more people to play with, and even if she didn't have that much fun, Minato-niisan always made time to play with her anyway.

With a smile, she skipped away, looking for her next playmate, and hoping to find one who would last a bit longer.

Games weren't fun when they ended so fast!

**-Break-**

"Well, he really is going to town on the fuckers," grinned Apacci, the Arrancar slicing the throat of one of the Quincy troopers with her chakrams.

Unlike the Shinigami, the hybrids were acutely aware of how dangerous the elite of the Quincies were, and made certain to steer clear of the very specific energy signatures that indicated their presences. The also made certain to work as a unit, each one of them keeping an eye out for any interloper, in case one of the Sternritter decided to drop by and attack them. It might not prevent them from being affected by their power, but at least they'd present a united front, a _prepared_ one, since this time they wouldn't be taken by surprise.

"Indeed, he is," remarked Hallibel, frowning.

She certainly didn't mind seeing the Quincies being decimated, however, she felt uncomfortably inadequate, being shown just how _weak_ she was in the grand scheme of things. Oh, she was stronger than most beings in the known dimensions, however, it was also clear to her that a fair few people were above her when it came to pure power. And while Minato was certainly someone she trusted after he'd helped her and saved her life, her Hollow instincts were dissatisfied with the knowledge that _she_ was not stronger than him.

Not that she cared. She knew when to listen to her instincts and when to think reasonably. At the moment, she was enjoying the opportunity to cut loose. While she didn't like to fight for the sake of fighting, she _was_ a Hollow, and as such, combat was in her blood. And she had a grudge to vent, for which the Quincies made perfectly acceptable targets.

Still, as she followed the overall progression of the war, she couldn't help but feel awed by the sheer power Minato was bringing to bear. Her _pesquisa_ was picking up almost two hundred power signatures from his summons, some as weak as a low-level Shinigami, others more powerful than even the Captain Commander himself, which, in the privacy of her mind, terrified her to no end.

_How_ could someone be so powerful?

Minato himself was powerful, yes, but his summons…if one was to consider their power as his own, then he was probably the most powerful being in the known dimensions. Or at least, close to it. She didn't know how powerful Yhwach was, nor what his powers were, but she had a bad feeling about the King of Quincies.

Alas, there was nothing she could do about it, so she would fight and stay on guard. She would not let herself be taken hostage again, and those who would try would die before she allowed them to get to her.

**-Break-**

"Thanks for the help, Minato," grinned Ichigo, the teen standing next to the blue-haired boy, surveying the area.

The first assault of the Quincies was quickly stopped when it became abundantly clear that they had no hope of winning. With their forces weakened prior to the invasion, without any Hollows as disposable troops, and most of all, with several Captain-class beings here to help the Shinigami, there was little they could do, especially when Minato had called out his Personae.

They were responsible for single-handedly depleting about forty-five percent of the Quincy troops, even killing off several of the Sternritters, Yhwach's shock troops and elite. For all their power and special abilities, they were dreadfully unprepared to be faced with beings of equal, if not greater, power, who could, in some cases, call upon abilities just as esoteric and powerful than their own.

"It was nothing," remarked Minato, sitting on a piece of wreckage.

For all of his power, keeping over one hundred and seventy summons up and running took a serious toll on both his mind and body, and even now that the assault on Soul Society had halted, more than a few of his Personae were still up and about, either patrolling to ensure that no Quincy had escaped or to help with healing the wounded. For those reasons, Minato was left rather weak, and had to sit down to conserve what little energy he had left, sweating in exertion.

"Minato-kun."

Blinking, the pair turned to see Hallibel and her Fraccion making their way towards them, along with Chad and Orihime. While the Shinigami had seen the Arrancar helping them, they were still given a wide berth and distrustful glances, though given that most Shinigami were far weaker than any of the four, there was fortunately no idiot trying to attack them.

"That was _awesome!_" grinned Apacci, the Arrancar looking positively _delighted_ as she flicked some blood off her chakrams.

"For once I agree with the bitch, good job!" smirked Mila-Rose, only to growl and block Apacci's fist, her companion looking quite miffed at the "bitch" comment.

Hallibel, for her part, ignored the snarling and growling women, probably used to it at that point given how regular the occurrence seemed to be, and opted to check over the blue-haired teen, her eyes narrowed.

"Are you alright, Minato-kun? It seems that summoning so many Personae took a lot out of you…"

He simply shrugged. Yes, it was draining, _exhausting_, even, but he couldn't exactly complain, not when it had allowed him to save hundreds of lives, not when it had contributed to saving the world. Still, he _was_ exhausted…In fact, his whole body felt surprisingly numb…

"MINATO-KUN!"

He tried to blink, but his eyes felt so heavy…Still, he managed to turn his head and look at his friends…He could see their panicked expressions, their mouths moving, but there was this strange buzzing in his ears, a surprisingly loud noise that blocked out all sound…

He opened his mouth to ask what had shocked his friends so, but only managed a weak cough, something warm trickling down his chin. He looked down, feeling lightheaded, so see his cloths stained with blood…_His_ blood, he realized, noticing the fist-sized hole in his torso, a perfectly clean circle that contrasted surprisingly with his dark clothing.

As a surprised chuckle escaped his lips, he toppled forwards, unable to remain upright anymore, strength leaving his body.

His eyes felt so heavy…He could rest a bit, right?

Tired…

So tired…

**-Break-**

He jerked away with a gasp, panting and sweaty. He'd died. He _knew_ he'd died. People did not survive having a hole obliterating part of their spines and their vital organs. But again, he was hardly a normal person, and he had seen things far stranger than someone waking up when by all rights they should be dead.

As his mind cleared somewhat, he immediately drew the most likely conclusion for his continued survival as Orihime Inoue's intervention, or, possibly, a deliberate action from his Personae, though for the moment they seemed to be silent.

A casual examination of his surroundings showed him to be in a bed in what appeared to be an old-fashioned hospital bedroom. He had been stripped of most of his clothing, leaving him in only his boxers, while bandages crisscrossed his torso, covering where the hole that should have killed him had been.

As he tried to sit up, he hissed, his torso feeling like someone had slugged him repeatedly in the same area. It was not the most painful injury he had ever had, but the sensation was unpleasant nonetheless.

Looking around, he realized that there was a weight on his lap, which, upon inspection, proved to be a sleeping Sung-sun, the young Arrancar woman snoozing lightly. It proved to be a confusing thing for Minato, as while he may have greatly helped Hallibel and her Fraccion, he hadn't seen them as more than acquaintances so far. With the war against the Quincies, he had expected the four women to have neither the time nor the will to stay at his bedside.

As he stared at the sleeping Arrancar, he heard the door slide open, revealing a tall woman with silver hair.

"Ah, Arisato-san," she smiled, "I am Isane Kotetsu, Vice-Captain of the Fourth Division. How are you feeling?"

"Sore," was his reply, before he added, "And tired."

Isane smiled and nodded.

"Both are common occurrences in cases like yours, Arisato-san. Especially the tiredness, maintaining your summons simultaneously must have been draining, and it is not uncommon for Shinigami who either do not know their limits or purposefully maintain draining techniques when their reserves are low to sleep for over a week to recover.

As Captain Unohana is busy, I am the one charged with your check-up. Before that, however…"

He blinked as Isane prostrated herself, feeling an uncomfortable feeling worm its way in his stomach. He felt uncomfortable seeing the tall silver-haired woman doing so, as she had clearly made sure that he recovered well, which was, in his opinion, more than enough payment for whatever she felt indebted for.

"Thank you, Arisato-san. Your summons saved my sister's life, and many of my friends. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

"Please raise your head Kotetsu-san, I am uncomfortable with people bowing to me."

And that was true. While he could accept some recognition for what he did, in his opinion he had never done more than what any decent person should have, therefore people showing too much respect to him unnerved him as he felt he had not done anything to deserve such treatment.

"Very well," smiled Isane, wiping a tear from her cheek, "But if you ever need anything, please do not hesitate, I would be happy to repay you."

"If so, could you please tell me how long I was unconscious, and what happened during that time? I assume the war was won, but…there are some things I am not sure I understand," he sighed, gesturing to the sleeping Sung-sun, who mewled slightly.

Isane smiled again, slightly more shyly this time.

"Yes, Tier-san left her subordinate here to keep informed on your recovery, as they had to return to Hueco Mundo. They demanded to be informed right away of any significant change to your health.

Ummm…Arisato-san, it is not my place to pry, but…are you in a relationship with them?"

The question was not a trap, he could tell as much, nor did Isane seem like the kind of person to hold that kind of judgment. If anything, she seemed genuinely curious about the subject.

"I…am not."

Isane must have misunderstood his hesitation, as she frantically waved her hand in front of her face, blushing.

"Ah, not that it is my business, they just seemed to care a lot about you!"

"Is that strange?" he asked, feeling curious himself.

He was far from learned about spiritual matters, and it was never good to assume you knew everything.

"Maybe? I could not say, Arrancar are a very recent thing…I know I wouldn't expect a normal Hollow to care about anything but eating, but Arrancar aren't normal Hollows, so…Not that I am judging them!" she frantically added, seeing the dark look crossing his face.

He knew that some people would discriminate simply based on the fact that Arrancars were essentially evolved Hollows, but the only time he felt the discrimination was somewhat justified was when people had lost someone to a Hollow, and even then, it was obvious to anyone who cared to look that Arrancar were more intelligent, more _human_, than their bestial counterparts.

"Ah, putting the matter of your friends aside, Arisato-san, you've been asleep for two weeks. And the war was indeed won, Kurosaki-san killed Yhwach himself, though several of your summons helped.

When you fell unconscious, only two of them stayed, the one you call Thanatos, and another that quite resembled a mix between it and you. It called itself Messiah. Are you familiar with it?"

He was. Messiah was one of his three "true" Personae, with Orpheus, and Thanatos. He was the culmination of his path, his soul given form, his willingness to sacrifice himself for his friends, for _everyone_.

He nodded.

"Mmmmm…?" moaned a voice, coming from his lap, and he was treated to the sight of the usually dignified Sung-sun blearily rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, looking up at him sleepily.

Then she seemed to realize that he was awake, and her whole body sprang upwards.

"Minato-san! This is….I…"

She took a deep breath, before her face once more morphed into the impassive mask he had seen her wear whenever he had seen her.

"Ahem. Please forgive that unsightly display. I would be very glad if you could forget all about it.

In any case, Minato-san, Hallibel-sama has charged me with ensuring that you would be treated as befitting of your contribution in the war, as while she does trust Captain Unohana, she is also aware that some…_unsavory_ elements among the ranks might cause trouble."

He could guess who. Given the quick description of the Captains, he could assume that _at least_ Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Kenpachi Zaraki would be interested in him, the former as a lab rat, the latter as someone to fight, neither of which he particularly enjoyed the idea of.

"As I have repeatedly told you, Cyan-san, the Captain Commander has issued strict orders that Arisato-san is not to be disturbed," whined Isane, looking unhappy at having to repeat herself.

"And as I have repeatedly told you, given the history of law-breaking Captains in Soul Society, Hallibel-sama felt it best to provide an additional security detail to Minato-san," easily replied the Arrancar, her voice smooth and soothing.

He had to admire how easily Sung-sun could defuse a situation, then again given how _explosive_ the relations between her fellow Fraccion were, she must have had plenty of experience to learn how to be diplomatic.

He heard Isane sigh, before the young woman approached his bed.

"Now, Arisato-san, I must give you a quick check-up, please do not move too much," she smiled, her hands lighting up green as she carefully passed them over his body. Still, as she did so, he was surprised by how big the contrast between Isane's previous self and her professional one, was.

"Well, Arisato-san, the goods news are that aside from a severe depletion of your reserves of spiritual energy, you are otherwise mostly fine, with only the remnants of the wound on your torso left. It is mostly superficial, however you might experience some discomfort if you pull on the injured muscles too much, so I must prescribe absolute rest for the next few days."

He nodded. He'd learnt early on to never disregard the advice of those who healed him, given that the one time he had done so he had almost gotten himself killed in Tartarus. The fallout had been surprisingly little, but the lesson he'd learnt that day had stuck.

As Isane excused herself, he turned back to Sung-sun, the Arrancar having been silent during the exchange.

"How are Hallibel-san and your friends?" he asked.

The question seemed to surprise her, before she gave him a small, genuine smile.

"They are well. Probably quite busy, now that they have to clean up the mess Yhwach left. She wanted me to tell you that you are welcome to Las Noches anytime you desire to visit."

"I see," he nodded, "If you see her before I do, please thank her on my behalf. I appreciate the gesture. I do have a question, however. Kotetsu-san seemed to think that I was in a relationship with them, was there a reason for it?"

Once again looking fairly surprised, he watched Sung-sun as she frowned.

"I…do know that Hallibel-sama and Apacci have been more open around you than they are around most other people, but I am afraid that I am unsure about their feelings concerning you. Do not get me wrong: they care about you more than they do most people, however I do not know if it is love, affection, or merely the fact that you are one of the few people who seem to genuinely not care about our species."

"I see. Thank you. I hope it was not too boring to spend all this time stuck here with me, especially so if the Shinigami seem to like you as little as you seem to believe."

He was surprised by the genuine laugh that escaped Sung-sun's lips, the young woman apparently finding what he had said unbelievably amusing. It was, he found, a very pleasant sound.

"Minato-san, spending time around you is hardly _boring_, not when the most interesting things keep happening around you. Did you know that I got to witness the Captain of the Twelfth Division be chased away from this room by Captain Unohana? Apparently, he tried to sneak in to collect "samples" to see if he could reproduce your ability.

I also had the chance to see Kurosaki-san running away from your healer friend, from what I heard she was trying to convince him to add someone else to their relationship."

He found himself blinking. The only person he could see Orihime agreeing to share Ichigo with, was their mutual friend, Tatsuki. Apparently, he'd missed the fact that the martial artist was interested in the orange-haired teen as well, and that apparently Orihime had less inhibitions that he'd initially assumed. Though he was not going to judge, not when _he _had dated up to eight people _at the same time_. It may have been special circumstances, it had nonetheless happened.

"Still, I thank you for your concern, but I can assure you, it is unwarranted. Given our involvement against the Quincies, as well as your own and the fact that it is known you are on friendly terms with us, the Shinigami do their best to be neutral or to ignore my presence. Aside from the Captain of the Twelfth Division, of course, but he has been forced to leave me alone by the Captain Commander."

The remainder of the day was spent catching up with what had happened during the time he had spent unconscious, and most of it was as he expected: Ichigo had once more proven that he was more than capable of dealing with an overpowered, megalomaniacal villain, and this time, the Quincy King would not be returning from the dead. He was also the talk of the entire Soul Society, along with Minato himself, for their contributions to the war, Ichigo having killed Yhwach and helped the war effort tremendously, while Minato was respected for killing most of the Quincy troops, along with healing the wounded and protecting those too weak to fight.

From what Isane had told them once she had shown up again for another check-up, there had been talks about a reward, though what kind of reward she was not privy to. However, the greatest news were the establishment of a treaty between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society, which made sure that neither side would go to war with the other for a very long time. The details were something Minato was interested in, as it had been made very clear that it was not a ploy to lure Hallibel and the remaining Arrancar into false complacency.

The news had seen Sung-sun shed a few tears, something that neither Isane nor Minato had commented on, both more than aware that until then Arrancar were confined to Hueco Mundo unless they wanted to be hunted down. But the new treaty allowed them more freedom, not much, but enough that it was a large improvement to their life. For example, they were now allowed to visit the World of the Living, provided that they wore Gigai that sealed most of their powers.

Sung-sun had been overjoyed by the news, for good reason. There was very little to do in Hueco Mundo, and she was something of a bibliophile, a hobby that would be far more enjoyable now that she could visit libraries instead of re-reading the few books Aizen had brought to Las Noches. It was, she had confided, the only way for her to relax after spending so much of her time reigning in her two violent friends.

They had even spent an evening discussing literature, as Minato, due to being a loner for most of his life prior to attending Gekkoukan High, had spent most of his time reading and nourishing his rather frightening intelligence. The same intelligence that had seen Mitsuru take an interest in him and had eventually led him to learn more about the young woman. Still, that meant that he had plenty of suggestions for Sung-sun, who, after discussing her tastes with him, found herself greatly anticipating her future visit to the World of the Living.

"You are a strange man, Minato-san," she remarked one evening, staring at him with both puzzlement and fondness, "I would not have thought it possible for the same person to get along with Apacci and myself, given our rather different personalities, but you somewhat managed to make it seem easy."

"I try not to judge people, Sung-sun-san, therefore I aim to accept them for who they are, with their qualities and faults both," he explained, not at all offended by what his companion had said. She was right, after all, he _was_ strange.

"A very mature worldview. If only more people were like you, this world would be a better place," sighed the Arrancar, giving him a small smile.

**-Break-**

Sung-sun was unused to feel so at peace. In Hueco Mundo all her life had been spent trying to survive, and while her integration in Lady Hallibel's group had allowed her some measure of relief, it had also meant having to deal with Mila-rose and Apacci. She cared for the two loudmouths, she really did, but spending decades having to deal with their shouting matches had left her with a significantly higher level of stress than what she would have been comfortable with. And then Aizen had gotten into the picture and things had gotten even worse. Sure, they didn't need to eat to prevent their regression anymore, but they were now beholden to a man who saw them as disposable pawns at best.

Yet now, here she was, enjoying the relative silence of Soul Society, having an enjoyable discussion with the first person outside their little group that she felt she could trust with her life. Minato had proven himself more than enough in her eyes, and being able to hold an intelligent conversation, one that centered around her hobby no less, had proved to be something she greatly enjoyed.

She could see now why her Lady and Apacci were so interested in the young man. It wasn't even for his rather strange power, but more for his personality. He was intelligent, witty, a good listener and provided good advice, not to mention that unlike most of his gender, he didn't seem to be eyeing her or her friends in any inappropriate ways. She knew he appreciated what he saw, she had caught a few appreciative looks directed to herself and once or twice previously to Lady Hallibel, but it wasn't creepy, nor did he show any inclination to force anything.

It was liberating. She had found herself more relaxed in the week she had spent looking after his recovery than she had in all her life, and appreciating their discussions all the more. She found herself dreading the time Minato would be declared entirely healed, for it would mean returning to Hueco Mundo, and separating from her new friend.

Of course, she felt bad for feeling so, as her loyalty to her Lady meant she had to always be by her side, but she still didn't like the idea of ending this very nice vacation she found herself in.

It had gotten to the point where her Lady had noticed, and even commented on it during one of their communications. She had wilted as the dark-skinned Arrancar commented on how she seemed to be enjoying herself, feeling guilty that she was having fun while her Lady was stuck in Hueco Mundo dealing with the aftermath of the Quincy invasion. Yet she had not criticized her, and, to Sung-sun's surprise, had even told her to enjoy herself.

_Flashback_

_She stared at the screen showing the throne room of Hueco Mundo, with Lady Hallibel seated in what had been Aizen's throne. The former Espada looked relatively harried, which made Sung-sun feel a pang of guilt._

"_Sung-sun, what is bothering you?" suddenly asked the projection, Hallibel staring at her subordinate with concern._

_She stilled, feeling as if her stomach was suddenly filled with lead. How could she tell her Lady that she wished to prolong her stay in Soul Society, that she wished to enjoy more conversations with the young man Lady Hallibel herself was interested in? She felt horrible. As a loyal Fraccion she should only have been concerned with serving her Lady to the best of her ability, yet here she was, selfishly clinging to something that by all rights she had no rights to instead of doing her duty._

"_I…"_

"_Sung-sun," sternly interrupted the dark-skinned Arrancar, "I know you. I know _something_ is bothering you. Please, tell me what it is. I wish to help you."_

_And yet she only succeeded in making her feel worse. Nonetheless, she had asked, and Sung-sun felt that it was better to get the matter off her chest instead of letting it fester. It would probably amount to nothing anyway, but at least she wouldn't feel bad for keeping her feelings a secret._

"_I…I wish to prolong my stay in Soul Society, Hallibel-sama."_

_She could see she had surprised her superior when she saw a perfect blond eyebrow slightly raise, showing how baffled the Queen of Hueco Mundo was by the request of her subordinate. Such surprise, however, disappeared quickly as a knowing glint appeared in the woman's eyes._

"…_It is because of Minato-kun, isn't it?"_

_She felt her cheeks heat up. She was a centuries-old creature that had spent her life feeding on souls, and yet she found herself blushing like a middle-schooler talking to her crush._

"…_Yes, Hallibel-sama," she whimpered, ashamed of herself, of her selfishness._

"_Sung-sun, listen to me," softly cut the voice from the projection, "I do not begrudge you for this request. Believe me, I understand how it feels to be in his company. How it feels to feel _normal,_ to feel like a normal person and to be able to _relax_. The few times I spoke with him were among the most calming of my life, and I can understand why you would want to experience this for longer."_

"_You do, Hallibel-sama?" she asked, surprised._

"_Yes, I do. Allow me to confide something to you: I too would enjoy spending more time around Minato-kun. I enjoyed the few times we spoke. Being the Tercera Espada and then the Queen of Hueco Mundo was never my wish, as you know. I only wished to be able to live in peace, and when Minato-kun is around I feel at peace."_

"_Too true, it is as if he is a calming influence, isn't it?" chuckled Sung-sun, slightly shocked that her Lady would confide in her on such a matter, "Not that it would be hard when compared to Apacci and Mila-Rose…"_

"_Indeed," softly chuckled Hallibel, shocking her subordinate all the more._

_Hallibel had always been an extremely calm, composed, and aloof person, for as long as Sung-sun could remember. It was perhaps the first time she heard the woman chuckle, and found that if it was due, even if part, to Minato's influence, then she would be eternally grateful to the young man. She and her fellow Fraccion only wanted the best for their Lady, and to see her openly expressing her emotions after spending so long guarded, it was something that filled her with joy._

_She resolved to address the matter once she was back to Hueco Mundo. If not only Apacci, but her Lady, _and_ herself found themselves enjoying the company of the young man, then perhaps some dispositions could be taken to spend more time around him._

_Of course, if such dispositions found themselves necessary, then they would have to ask Minato if it was alright with him, but somehow, Sung-sun couldn't see him refusing to spend more time with them, at least not if their request was reasonable._

"_For now, Sung-sun", cut the voice of her Lady, albeit filled with more warmth than she was used to, "Enjoy yourself. You deserve it."_

_Flashback end_

So she had listened, and enjoyed herself. Discussions about books had grown into a daily routine she eagerly awaited, since while she wished she could monopolize Minato, both of them had certain responsibilities they couldn't just forego like that. For Minato, it was more often than not regular check-ups, as well as discussions with the Captains about his actions in the short war with the Quincies.

While he had not participated in it for long, his actions had been vital in both weakening and dealing with the Quincies, something that had helped limit the still heavy damage to Soul Society. Despite being forbidden from visiting, many of the Shinigami healed or saved by Minato's Personae had asked their Captains to convey their thanks, and for several of them, invitations for a drink or a date. The latter were politely declined, while Minato had managed to arrange for an evening to share a drink with the Shinigami, albeit rather reluctantly given his dislike of attention.

While Minato was busy dealing with his new popularity, Sung-sun was busy with her own duties as an emissary of Hueco Mundo. While many saw Arrancars with distrust, none could refute that they had helped the war effort, and as such, now that the treaty ensured peace between both dimensions, the Captains were trying to get the average Shinigami to accept her presence and learn more about Arrancars. Not entirely successfully, mind you, but still, there was a growing base of Shinigami interested in learning about her kind, not to mention that some had suggested creating a Shinigami force stationed in Hueco Mundo, a sort of embassy, charged to both help the Arrancar in securing the so far dangerous dimension, and promoting cooperation between both species.

Given the existence of the Vizards, Shinigami who had gotten Hollow powers, it wouldn't surprise Sung-sun if such a thing did go through, and that this was the basis of a lasting peace. Of course, she knew there would be conflict, and that the most conservative of the noble families would drag their feet, but if the Captains were pushing for it, peace may well last for a long time.

Then the Royal Guard had come and delivered Minato a seal that gave him authority equal to the Soul King in the affairs of Soul Society, which had sent even the most unflappable Captains into coughing fits. The fact that the Royal Guard had not expressed any hostility towards her, only curiosity, had also been further proof that the higher powers of Soul Society were in fact willing to broker the peace with Hueco Mundo.

The fact was, now that Minato had the endorsement of the closest thing to God that existed in the known dimensions, there was very little anyone could do to prevent the peace from happening. Not that most would want to, what with the two wars Soul Society had to recover from, brief as they were, but she had heard a few of the ranked officers complaining about a few of the nobles who refused the idea of peace.

So it was with the realization that she was witnessing History in the making that Sung-sun finished her stay in Soul Society.

**-Break-**

While no stranger to the jarring feeling brought by attending school after participating in potentially apocalyptic events, Minato had to admit that he had never gotten quite used to see his classmates going through their lives as if nothing had happened, while he and his friends had barely stopped the end of the world earlier that month.

Now that his life was (hopefully) peaceful again, he had ample time to reflect back on everything that had happened so far, and he was honestly a bit surprised by how much had happened. With Ichigo stopping not one but two threats to existence as it currently was, he had, without really meaning to, made a large group of friends, with Hallibel and her Fraccion being the most prominent. He was a bit uncomfortable at how fast things had gone, especially so because while somewhat ignorant of the subtleties of the female mind, like most males, he was still observant enough to realize that things had taken a turn he was not sure he was comfortable with.

The idea of a relationship with a woman such as Hallibel was not one to entertain lightly, as the Arrancar were clearly extremely short on people whom they could trust, their own group aside. And that meant that they were, understandably, a lot more susceptible to small gestures of kindness, even something as simple as being their friend and not judging them for being Hollows being more than enough to get interest from any of the four Arrancar. The fact that aside from Hallibel he had spent a good deal of time around Sung-sun, enough to realize that the Snake Arrancar was also showing signs of interest, left him in something of a quandary. While he _had_ dated multiple women at once, it was because he had to raise his Social Links, and the whole experience had left him with a bad taste in his mouth. He had never lied to any of the people involved, but even hiding things from them had felt wrong.

Unfortunately, he now had to contend with having two, possibly three (as Apacci's interactions with him seemed to have left Sung-sun surprised), deceptively young-looking women who could be interested in pursuing a relationship with him.

He'd apparently also earned himself a very high appreciation for having lent his Omnipotent Orb to Hallibel during the invasion of Soul Society. Granted, it had landed him in the care of the Fourth Division with a giant hole in his stomach, but as he had proven, he could recover from that. The Queen of Hueco Mundo, however, couldn't, and given that knowledge, he'd insisted that she take the small orb. While he had cautioned her that it wasn't foolproof, it had apparently saved her life twice during the short war, something that the blonde was quite determined to repay, as were, unsurprisingly, her Fraccion.

Doing the right thing seemed destined to land him in complicated romantic relationships, didn't it?

Granted, he wasn't _sure_ of the Arrancars' intentions yet, but given how he prided himself on being able to read people, he knew that the odds of him being wrong were next to nil. Though he was not entirely comfortable with the idea of a relationship involving all four women, which, if he had to admit, did appeal to his male side, he was also aware that all four women cared greatly for each other. Even if Apacci and Mila-Rose were always at each other's throat, it was closer to a fight between sisters than a true conflict, and both them and Sung-sun highly respected Hallibel, for good reason.

In the end, he supposed he would have to see where things went.

**-Break-**

His first realization that perhaps he had overestimated the ability of the three Arrancar to not involve themselves in his school life came as he exited the school, approximatively two months after the end of the War against the Quincies, or as it was now called, the Blood War.

He had just exited the school building when he noticed a large crowd of people at the school's entrance, and he made his way towards it curiously. Crowds weren't that uncommon in that area, given that punks that Ichigo beat into the ground sometimes had the bright idea to come and challenge the teen at school. It usually did not do them much good, as Ichigo was now worlds apart from them in terms of fighting skills. What chances did teenagers with little knowledge of how to fight aside from street brawling have against someone who was used to fight at the speed of sound and react to attacks that could destroy entire buildings?

"For the last time, FUCK OFF, you morons!" snarled a familiar voice, "We ain't here for you lot to gawk at, and the next time someone tries to grope me they're losing their arm!"

Pushing past the crowd, he was unsurprised to see a snarling Apacci glaring at the people around her, who maintained a fairly nice distance with the clearly pissed off Arrancar, who looked moments away from throttling someone. Leaning on the wall behind her was Sung-Sun, who was frowning heavily and looking particularly annoyed, though he could understand why given the sheer crowd they'd attracted.

Both Arrancar, who were clearly in artificial bodies given that normal humans could see them, had foregone their normal clothes, instead opting for more modern, and less eye-catching, clothing. Of course, that was for a given value of "less eye-catching", as both Arrancar looked like young women in excellent physical condition, who also did not look Japanese, a sure-fire way to attract attention, given Karakura's relative isolation. Given how easy it was to distinguish foreigners from Japanese people, it was obvious from the start that Apacci and Sung-sun would attract attention to themselves simply by being in Karakura. The fact that they looked foreign_ and _were good-looking all but guaranteed that the less restrained men (which meant basically most teenagers) would make their interest known.

Apacci had opted to wear ripped jeans that showed off her muscled legs, with a tank top and a leather jacket, a choice of clothes that while practical, also had the side-effect of showing off a nice figure, which his schoolmates had clearly picked noticed, if the looks of interest he saw on quite a few of the faces in the crowd were any indication.

Sung-sun, for her part, seemed happy to wear more conservative clothing, and was, surprisingly, clad in a Chinese Qipao modified with her customary long sleeves. Her hair was also carefully done, and like her fellow Arrancar, her attire certainly emphasized her beauty.

The downside of such things was that the two women had drawn a sizable crowd after rejecting the advances of the most adventurous students, many hoping to do better than those who had been rejected, and others merely watching the commotion with interest. Gossip was, after all, a fixture in most high-schools, and the two foreign-looking women at the front gate were probably the event of the week, if not the month. As such, few wanted to miss what was happening.

"Ano…" it appeared one of his classmates was now trying his own luck, "Aren't you the woman who came to see Arisato-kun a few months back?"

He could see Apacci relax slightly, no doubt happy that she wasn't being propositioned yet _again_.

"Yeah, that's me. Any idea of where he is? We want to discuss a few things with him," she ground out, her eye twitching as the crowd broke into excited whispers.

At this point he decided that he might as well do some damage control and he stepped forward, Apacci's eyes immediately zeroing on him, the Arrancar then appearing in front of him near instantly, looking quite relieved.

"Ah, Arisato, glad to see you. Could we go somewhere else, we…kinda need to have a talk. AND I'M NOT BLOODY _PREGNANT_!" she snarled, glaring at one particular group of female students who were watching the pair of them with red faces.

"Now, now, Apacci, there is no need to be so uncouth, you'll make yourself look like a barbarian woman yet again," smiled Sung-sun, before ignoring her friend and bowing to him, "Greetings, Minato-kun, it's a pleasure to meet you again."

He bowed back, a faint smile on his face. Out of the pair, he was closer to Sung-sun for the simple reason that she was quiet and more approachable than Apacci, who tended to be a bit too loud for his tastes. While he considered both friends, he still didn't like to have his ears ringing whenever the deer Arrancar (and hadn't that been a surprise, given her foul personality) decided to vocalize her anger.

Unfortunately for him, one of the rejected seniors had the stupidity to scoff and cross his arms, sneering at them.

"Oh, come on! What do you find interesting in _this_ guy? There's zombies with more emotions than that wimp!"

The boy, whom he briefly remembered being a member of the football team, probably did not expect both women to scoff.

"There is _plenty_ of things to be interested in, in this man, _boy_," coolly snapped a new voice, as Hallibel made her way through the crowd, which parted like the Red Sea on each side of her.

It was not hard to see why. Where Apacci and Sung-sun were certainly good-looking, Hallibel, now that she was not wearing her mask fragment, was easily beautiful enough to qualify as a model, with long, sun-kissed blonde hair and tanned skin that were utterly foreign. Her clothing was also extremely daring for the rather conservative Japanese society, with jean shorts that showed off long and toned legs, with a tank top that hid almost nothing of the body it covered.

Minato himself had trouble not staring, and he was unsurprised to see more than a few people, male and female alike, staring.

_Me likes what I see, _whistled Incubus, which prompted a chorus of agreement from Lilith, Lilim, Succubus, and a few more of his Personae.

"Good day to you, Minato-kun," smiled Hallibel, "We would like to discuss a few things with you, but do you think we could find a less…public place to do so?"

He simply nodded. While his school life would certainly be fraught with rumors now, given the sheer amount of people who had witnessed their conversation, at least he could ensure that whatever the Arrancar wished to discuss would be kept private.

**-Break-**

It was fortunately relatively easy to escape the crowd, mostly because while each of the Arrancar were very distinctive in their own right, their stamina and running speed was much higher than the average human's, allowing them to sprint away and lose their pursuers after a few turns.

"It appears we managed to escape our pursuers," smiled Hallibel, before pursuing her lips, "Though I recall I specifically ordered you to make as little fuss as possible, Apacci, Sung-sun, so I would like to know why so many people were there."

"I believe it wasn't their fault," he hastily explained, "It was mostly my schoolmates who were interested in them, and who probably made advances that neither of them accepted. Which, in turn, likely led to more people gaining interest."

"Yeah, that's it," hastily nodded Apacci, "They were horny little dogs, I swear! I even tried to be polite, tell them Sung-sun!"

"As…unlikely as it would seem," started Sung-sun, drawing an indignant cry from her fellow Fraccion, "She did indeed try to be polite in her rejections, alas it appeared to not work overly well with the humans. The ignorance of youth, I suppose."

Hallibel stared at her subordinates for a few moments, before sighing.

"Very well. Nonetheless, next time I must insist you do not wait for Minato-kun at his school, that would draw far too much unwanted attention."

"Next time? Hallibel-san, are you planning on visiting regularly?"

His confusion mostly came from the fact that now that Hallibel was Queen, she would certainly need her subordinates to help her rule, no matter how many Arrancar were left after the Winter War. Yet she seemed to imply that both would be making regular trips to the Living World, so he was understandably confused.

"That…is one of the things we wished to talk about, Minato-kun. If…we could find a private place to discuss things, perhaps?" offered the blonde, looking surprisingly uncomfortable.

"Would my house be appropriate?" he inquired, only to sigh as all three women nodded.

Now he could only hope there wouldn't be any _more_ wild rumors starting when people saw him with three foreign-looking women. He didn't need half the town to be curious about his personal life, thank you very much.

_Bringing them home, uh, buddy_?

Somehow Incubus's voice managed to carry the Persona's smug satisfaction quite well.

_Oh come on! You know they want you, man,_ whined the small demon, _Be more proactive! I swear, once you're home just jump them, it's not like they'd refuse, they've been going without a man for centuries, man! Centuries!_

He carefully ignored the sudden discussion the little demon had caused among the other Personae as he led the three women to his home.

**-Break-**

When he'd arrived in this world, Elizabeth had ensured that all the money he'd saved up from trips to Tartarus was at his disposition, leaving him, a young adult, with several millions of yen in cash available. Given that he was quite frugal in his spending, he'd made sure to do the smart thing and invest most of his earnings, which in turn had allowed him substantial returns, thanks to Mitsuru having coached him into becoming a savvy investor.

As such, his flat was quite large, covering an entire floor of a well-maintained apartment building in a rather comfortable area of Karakura. It was also rather bare, Minato having never liked collecting things, aside from mementos of his friends in the year before the Fall, proof that he had made connections with many people. All those objects had been carefully arranged in a glass display stand, mainly to remind him of his past, and to treasure his bonds with his friends, both old and new.

He was rather surprised to see the three Arrancar women looking around in wonder, having expected them to be nonplussed by his abode, as they lodged in Las Noches, which was a palace, much grander and more luxurious that the admittedly nice home he had made for himself.

"It's very nice, Arisato-san," smiled Sung-sun, looking around happily, "You have good taste."

The fact that her stare had stopped on the extensive library he had started constituting for himself was not lost on him, but he supposed that she could enjoy seeing such, as he highly doubted that there even _existed_ half as much books in Hueco Mundo.

"Feel free to browse, Sung-sun-san," he smiled, enjoying the way the Arrancar's eyes lit up as she sped towards the books, eagerly browsing the titles he had carefully sorted.

"Feels a bit empty, though," remarked Apacci, looking around, "It's nice, yeah, but it feels, well kinda like it lacks something…"

"Apacci…"slowly uttered Hallibel, undoubtedly unhappy to have her subordinate criticize his , in her presence no less.

"I'm sorry, but this is just…well too ordered, like, you know? It feels kinda impersonal. Like it's not _you_."

"I was never someone who enjoyed decorating too much," he remarked, "I prefer to keep things simple and functional."

"Eh, to each their own I guess," shrugged Apacci, not noticing the glare her superior was giving her, "I mean, it's your place, I can't criticize how you do your things."

"It is quite alright. I do understand that by most standards I can be considered quite boring," he admitted.

Honestly, he knew he was hardly the most entertaining person, and given that most of his peers had entirely different centers of interest his social life was quite scarce, aside from associating with those aware of the supernatural, that is. But then again, while his year at Port Island had changed him profoundly, he was still in many ways the same social outcast he was before.

After preparing some tea for his guests, they settled down in the living room, the Arrancar sat in the couch, while he sat in one of the armchairs, sipping his drink.

"Now that we no longer are in public, might I inquire about the reason you are visiting me?" he politely asked, "Given that Franceska-san is not with you, would I be right to assume she has been left in charge of Hueco Mundo?"

"She was," nodded Hallibel, sipping her tea, "Now that matters have calmed down and the remnants of the Wanderreich been dealt with, the situation is calm enough that she can deal with any unexpected surprise with the resources left in Las Noches.

And given the rather…personal nature of our visit, we felt it was better that she was left in Hueco Mundo. It will also be good training for the eventuality of her having to take charge in my absence."

He nodded. Hallibel truly reminded him of Mitsuru, both women always seeking to be practical and organized, even when it came to their own personal lives.

"As for the…matter that brought us here, I believe you are already aware of our…feelings for you?"

It was clear that the former Espada was uncomfortable with the subject broached, however, as he expected, she soldiered through with nary a sign that she was struggling, though from what little he knew of her past, he couldn't say if it was because she was used to such conversations or simply was able to compartmentalize her feelings.

"I am aware that you are more comfortable around me than most, and seem to lower your guard more in my presence. While I may assume the reason for this, I will admit that I do not want to jump to conclusions.

For the sake of practicality, I shall be blunt: I am assuming that the three of you are interested in pursuing a relationship with me, though I might be wrong. Am I?"

_Minato, sometimes there is such a thing as being _too_ blunt with a woman, _scolded Cybele, several other female Personae voicing their agreement and making him wince slightly, though his attention was mostly turned to the three women sitting on his couch.

It was surprising to see all three Arrancar react to his words, Sung-sun hiding the lower part of her face with her sleeve, her pale cheeks darkened with red as her eyes shifted to look anywhere but at him, while Apacci pinked slightly but crossed her arms as if daring him to laugh at her. Hallibel, for her part, had seen her cheeks darken slightly, but had otherwise shown no reactions to his words.

"You…are not entirely wrong," eventually admitted Hallibel, "Though things are not quite that simple, I am afraid.

The very idea of a relationship with you is a first, a step in uncharted territory as it is, for multiple reasons. Relationships of this kind between Hollows could not exist when all that existed was mere Hollows, the mindset was not conductive to intimate relationships, and while _some_ Arrancar have shown interest in romance, so far the three of us are the closest to giving such a relationship a try.

That is without even mentioning that you are a Human, with a life expectancy of a hundred years or so _at best_, while Shinigamis, who are the closest lifeform we can base ourselves on, have a life expectancy of a dozen times that.

Finally, there are three of us, and only one of you. While we all intend to try and make this relationship work, there is no telling if we will all be satisfied by sharing you, since the return of a more human-like rational does not exclude us feeling jealousy.

All these are separate problems, however when taken together, it might prove challenging to make this relationship work. Especially as several things might offend you, like having to split your attention to three different women."

"Many men would kill for the chance of having three women such as yourselves for themselves," he pointed out, a bit uncomfortable at the indirect praise.

"You have proven to us that you were far from most men," smiled Hallibel, and for a moment he was stunned at how much such an action transformed her face. From beautiful, she became _breathtaking_, a Goddess in human form, and it was only when she resumed speaking that he realized he had forgotten to breath, "Most men would not have healed us without asking anything in return. Most men would not have risked their lives for people they had no reason to save. _Most men_ would not feel uncomfortable with the idea of having three mates. And most men would not worry that they couldn't devote enough attention to all three.

Or are we wrong?"

He stayed silent. What could he say? Of course, they were right. While the idea of a polyamorous relationship did appeal to him on some level by virtue of him being a male and his three guests being beautiful women, his more gentlemanly side was unhappy with the possibility of neglecting one or more of them for the others.

_That is an admirable way of seeing things, Minato, _smiled Cybele, _but these women came to you with the knowledge that you are not the kind of man to neglect them willingly. Also, remember what Ichigo told you about his friend Nelliel, being a female Arrancar means that most of their own kind would abuse any kind of power given over them._

_I agree,_ piped in Succubus, to his surprise,_ they are showing their interest in you _precisely_ because they have a high opinion of you, Minato. Now please, man up and accept their offer, I want to see how they do in bed!_

He shook his head, a small smile on his lips. That was more like Succubus, still, his Personae had made their opinions clear, and in his heart, he knew that he'd never do anything less than his best to make sure that any woman he shared his life with was happy. If there were three, well, he could only rise to the challenge.

"I…"he stared, before taking a deep breath, "I would be willing to try dating you, but only with certain conditions."

He could see that his words had allowed the three women to relax, as some of the tension in the room bled away, though Hallibel looked curious, and still somewhat on guard.

"What kind of conditions, Minato-kun?"

"I…It feels wrong to me to simply jump in this relationship with little prior knowledge of who you are, your dislikes and such, and I would be interested in learning more about you before fully committing myself to this kind of relationship. As such, I would ask if each of you would be interested in separate dates, to be able to learn more about each other without interference from the others."

As all three women glanced at each other, he could see them start to smile.

"I believe that such can be arranged…"

**-Break-**

"So, you have three Arrancar chicks who want to date you?" asked Ichigo, the hybrid sipping on a can of soda on the school rooftop, "Weird."

"And you have Inoue-san, Arisawa-san, Kuchiki-san, and Nel-san vying for your attention, with Inoue-san pushing for you to share," deadpanned Minato, having tossed his own can in the bin.

He had told the other teen about his current situation, mostly because he knew that Ichigo, for all of a prude he was, also respected women too much to make jokes about it, while also having an open enough mind to not immediately consider his arrangement with the Arrancar wrong. While he was leery of such a polyamorous relationship, he genuinely believed that there was nothing wrong with it if each participant was honest and willing to make it work, despite law saying it was illegal.

"Point," laughed the redhead, before sighing, "How do you do it, though? I feel like the biggest scumbag on Earth for even thinking about this."

"That is understandable, you have been told all your life by modern society that such a relationship is wrong, sleazy, and disrespectful to women, which is wholly inaccurate. It depends entirely on the people of the relationship to make it something worthwhile, and not merely sexual."

"I haven't slept with _any_ of them," quickly stuttered Ichigo, his face turning an impressive shade of red.

"But you have thought about it," shrugged Minato, "Ichigo, it is _normal_ to think about beautiful young women and have fantasies. The main difference between a pervert and a gentleman is in the way he treats the women he is attracted to, even if he is attracted to them and wants to have sex with them. And you have shown many times that you are a very rare example of modern day gentleman, not to mention willing to do anything, including putting your life in danger, for those you love. Is it any surprise that they think you would be worth sharing?"

The redhead could only muse on his words, but Minato hoped he had helped him see that he was doing nothing wrong. Given everything he had done, he had no doubt that the younger teen deserved happiness, and that his heart was big enough to love more than one woman. Honestly, while he understood why modern society put so much stock in monogamy, given that many men would happily abuse polygamy, there were people good and kind enough to love more than one person. Granted, they were rare, but they existed.

His own problems with polygamy was because he felt that by being in a relationship with more than one woman was unfair for her, as he refused to favor one woman over another in the relationship, and thus he wouldn't be able to focus as much as he wanted to on his lover. Not to mention that his previous romantic interests had been strong women and _very_ against the idea of polygamy.

Ironically, the Arrancar had no problems about such a matter, granted, their culture was _literally_ only a few years old, and given that they were in essence evolved Hollows, they were more in tune with their instincts. It was honestly fascinating for Minato to discover how beings who looked human but weren't, thought and acted.

"And you? Do you plan on having sex with them later on?" eventually asked Ichigo.

"In time, if our relationship progresses to such a level, yes," he admitted, "All three of them are beautiful in their own way, and I would be a fool to not admit it to myself."

Only time would tell if their relationship worked or fell apart.

But he had a new life, and all the time in the world to enjoy it. He had people dear to him, and he'd do everything in his power to make them happy.

* * *

**And yeah, the ending is a bit abrupt, but I honestly couldn't be satisfied with what I came up with the first few times, so I figured that this was better...**

**Hope you enjoyed yourselves!**

**And as usual, constructive criticism is welcome, telling me this story sucks without pointing out why will be ignored.**

**For those who wonder why I made this a four way pairing, I felt that Minato (and Ichigo, with his growing Harem) deserved to be happy, and that both were people who would actually care about their partners (so no, this isn't just some kind of sexual fetish). Also, Hallibel is quite similar to him and would likely be a great girlfriend/mate, with Sung-sun being a close second. Apacci was added because frankly, as loud-mouthed as she is, I can't help but feel like she'd probably mellow down a bit if she didn't have to watch her back and had people to care for her.**


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